“Anchor It!”

Children like to climb on furniture. As you childproof, you may not be aware that unsecured TVs, furniture and appliances are hidden hazards in many rooms. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently launched the “Anchor It!” campaign which is a national public education campaign to prevent furniture and TV tip-overs from killing and seriously injuring children.

Tip-overs are one of the top hidden hazards in the home, and CPSC’s new safety campaign is aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries from tipping furniture and TVs.

According to CPSC data, unstable and unsecured TVs and large pieces of furniture kill a child every two weeks, on average, in tip-over incidents that are easily preventable. CPSC also reported that 38,000 Americans go to emergency rooms each year with injuries related to tip-overs of top-heavy furniture or televisions placed on furniture, instead of a TV stand.  Two-thirds of those injuries involved children younger than 5.  Additionally, between 2000 and 2013, 84 percent of the 430 deaths reported to CPSC involved children younger than 10.

Safety Tips:

USE STURDY FURNITURE
Televisions should only be placed on furniture designed to hold a television, such as television stands or media centers.

SECURE YOUR TV
Televisions that are not wall mounted should still be anchored to the wall.

MOUNT FLAT-SCREEN TVS
Mount flat-screen TVs to the wall or to furniture to prevent them from toppling over.

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to secure TVs and furniture properly.

LOW AND STABLE – CRT TV
CRT televisions should only be placed on furniture designed to hold a television, and should be anchored to the wall or the TV stand.

SECURE TOP-HEAVY FURNITURE
Existing furniture can be anchored with inexpensive anti-tip brackets. New furniture, such as dressers, are sold with anti-tip devices. Install them right away.

REMOVE TEMPTING OBJECTS
Remove items that might tempt kids to climb, such as toys and remote controls, from the top of the TV and furniture.

For accessible information as it relates to this graphic please click here.