Tips to prevent toppling furniture accidents in the home

Each year in Australia, hundreds of children are injured by toppling furniture or TVs. Up to two each year are killed.

These accidents can happen in the blink of an eye so it is important to do everything you can to make your home safer – there are ways to prevent these injuries from occurring.

A recent joint campaign from national consumer affairs agencies aims to highlight this issue and provide parents with tips on how to prevent these serious accidents in the home.

Tips to prevent toppling furniture accidents in the home

Tips on buying safer furniture

• Look for low-set furniture or furniture with a broad, sturdy and stable base. Tall furniture with a small base is more likely to tip over.
• Look for furniture that is sold with an anchoring device.
• If the furniture doesn’t come with its own anchoring device ask in store if they sell them separately. If not, you can find anchoring devices in hardware stores.
• Let the sales staff know that you have small children so they can help you pick out safer furniture.
• Ask the retailer about the National Retail Association’s Best Practice Guide for Furniture and Television Tip-Over Prevention. This is a voluntary guide, so check to see if they apply it to their product range.

Tips to reduce the risk of furniture and TV accidents

• Discourage children from climbing on furniture.
• Secure furniture and televisions to walls using anchoring devices or other suitable methods (mounting, bolting etc). If you’re renting, ask your landlord and get their permission in writing first.
• Do not place heavy items on top of bookshelves or other unstable furniture.
• Use locking devices on drawers to discourage small children from using them as steps.
• Don’t put their favourite toys – or other tempting items – up high where children can climb to get to them.
• Do not place unstable furniture near where children play.

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The Bub Hub is proud to support the National Toppling Furniture Campaign