Furniture Tip Overs Pose Safety Hazard

Furniture tip overs cause an average of 38,000 emergency room visits a year, more than half of which are children according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The combination of a young child attempting to climb furniture and unstable furniture proves deadly.   Head injuries are a commonly reported injury.

Old televisions, combined with furniture not designed to support their weight, are the most deadly item, since they are both very heavy and unstable due to their design. The large front end of older CRT TVs makes them very vulnerable to tipping over onto someone, and much more deadly.  During The Super Bowl, an ad campaign called National TV Safety Day warned of the dangers of older TVs. The campaign recommended either keeping the TVs on low to the ground furniture and properly securing them, or recycling the TVs altogether.

Tip overs can be reduced with the installation of anchors for furniture. However, including them with a product is only a voluntary standard, not a mandate for manufacturers. The standard was only changed recently, despite awareness of the problem existing since at least the 1990s. Furniture built before the updated standards will be around for quite some time.

Philadelphia Products Liability Lawyers at Galfand Berger Advocate for Consumers’ Right to Safe Furniture

If you suspect that you may have been injured by a defective or mislabeled product, call the experienced Philadelphia products liability lawyers at Galfand Berger. For your free consultation with one of our knowledgeable and highly skilled Philadelphia personal injury lawyers, call today at 800-222-8792 or submit an online contact form.