CPSC Adopts New Standard to Protect Kids From Furniture Tip-Overs

While you are busy looking low and high to reduce dangers for baby around your home, make sure not to forget the furniture. While dressers, TV stands and china cabinets can seem innocuous enough, each year, an estimated 5,000+ children are injured or, in some rare cases, killed in furniture tip-over incidents.

It’s a heartbreaking reality that parents must be aware of and furniture makers must consider in order to prevent future tragedies. To ensure furniture makers are crafting the safest products possible, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has adopted a new furniture tip-over standard to help keep children safe.

Implementing recently passed legislation, the Commission voted to adopt the new voluntary standard as a CPSC mandatory safety standard to protect young children from injury and death from furniture tip-over incidents. STURDY, which stands for Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth, was signed into law in December 2022.

As required by the new mandatory standard, furniture companies will have to put their products through the following tests to ensure the safety of children up to 6 years old:

• Tests for stability when the unit is placed on carpeting,
• Tests for stability with loaded drawers and with multiple drawers open, and
• Tests that simulate the weight of children up to 60 pounds interacting with the unit.

“The CPSC will be actively monitoring the marketplace and enforcing this important safety standard,” CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric in a press release. “The step we’ve taken today could not have been done without years of work by advocates and Commission staff. CPSC’s new rule backed by STURDY will significantly reduce tip-over-related deaths and injuries and provides peace of mind to families across the country.”

While the CPSC and furniture are stepping up to the plate to produce the safest items possible, parents must also take action to ensure that their furniture is sturdy and safe. It’s important to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembly and anchoring, and to never place heavy items on the top of furniture that could cause it to tip over. Additionally, furniture should be checked regularly to ensure it remains stable and anchored properly.

If you’re unsure whether your furniture is safe or have concerns about furniture tip-over risks, the CPSC website offers helpful resources and tips. For more information on babyproofing your home, check out these tips.