Courtesy of Safe Kids Worldwide | Falling furniture and televisions are a growing cause of serious injuries to young children — and a large portion of these accidents happen at Grandma’s house. Learn how to prevent TV tip-overs in your home. |
Every day, in homes all across the nation and the world, children are being seriously injured from top-heavy furniture, televisions, and appliances tipping over and onto them. Some of these injuries, about 17 a year, result in death. Toddlers and preschoolers are especially vulnerable to this growing cause of accidental injuries.
The good news: These accidents are 100% preventable.
You can protect your grandchildren from falling TVs and furniture by taking these simple steps:
- Assess the stability of all TVs in your home—including those located in areas normally off limits to your grandkids.
- Mount flat-screen TVs to the wall to prevent them from toppling off stands. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you have a secure fit.
- If you have a large, heavy, old-style cathode ray tube (CRT) TV, place it on a low, stable piece of furniture. Because of its weight, a 36-inch CRT television falling three feet creates the same momentum as a 1-year-old child falling 10 stories.
- If you no longer use your CRT TV, consider recycling it. To find a location to safely and easily recycle unwanted TVs, go to GreenerGadgets.org.
- Use brackets, braces, or straps to secure unstable or top-heavy furniture to the wall.
- Install stops on dresser drawers to prevent them from being pulled all the way out. Multiple open drawers can cause the weight to shift, making it easier for a dresser to fall.
- Keep heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers.
- Avoid placing remote controls, food, toys, or other items in places where kids might be tempted to climb up or reach for them.
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Preventing TV Tip-Overs: Why It Matters
31% = Increase in TV tip-over-related injuries over the last 10 years
13,000 = Children injured by TV tip-overs each year
Every 3 weeks = A child dies from injuries sustained by a TV tip-over
70% = Children injured by TV tip-overs who are 5 years or younger
10 = Number of children 5 years or younger treated daily in the ER for a head injury from a TV tip-over
1 in 4 = Adults who take action to prevent TV tip-overs
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Click here to watch TV Tip-Overs: An Emerging Danger, by Safe Kids Worldwide.
Click here to read or download “A Report to the Nation on Home Safety: The Dangers of TV Tip-Overs,” by Safe Kids Worldwide.
Safe Kids Worldwide is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children, the number one killer of kids in the United States. Safe Kids works with more than 600 coalitions in the U.S. and partners with organizations in 23 countries to reduce injuries from motor vehicles, sports, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings, and more.
