Over 25,000 children visit the Emergency Room every year with tipover injuries. These can range from broken bones or stitches to traumatic brain injuries. And every two weeks a child is killed from a tipover. Much like childproofing with a toddler gate or electrical socket cover, TV mounts and furniture straps are important steps to keeping your family safe.
A common misconception about the newer flat screen TVs is that they are much safer than the older CRT style TVs because they are lighter and thinner and therefore pose no risk. However, flat screen TVs still weigh enough to seriously injure or kill a toddler or young child. When not secured, a flat screen television is very unstable while sitting on a stand or shelf. If you are going to place your flat screen TV on a stand or tray, be sure to secure the TV to the stand, and the stand to the furniture and to the wall.
It is highly recommended that flat screen TVs be mounted directly to the wall to eliminate the risk of the TV from toppling off its stand. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you have a secure fit. A variety of wall mounts and safety straps can be found at most retailers that sell Flat Screen TVs.
TV Wall Mount
Anti Tip Furniture Strap
These televisions can be an extremely dangerous hazard. 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 (see footnote1 below if needed). Many times, as new TVs are brought into the home, large and heavier CRT TVs are moved to other rooms and placed on dressers or high furniture, where they may be repurposed for use with game consoles or DVD players. Make sure you place your CRT TV on a low, stable piece of furniture that is appropriate for the TV’s size and weight.
Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might attract children off TV stands or furniture. Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children.
Panel glass accounts for two-thirds of the CRT’s weight. You want to make sure that weight is as far back as possible. CRT TVs can be very deep, so push it back as far as you can, even if you have to pull the furniture away from the wall.
TV Tip-Overs on the Today Show
Better yet, make your home safer and recycle it! Did you know that up to 8 percent of the weight of a television tube is lead? This lead is largely trapped in the glass of the set—ironically, CRT glass contains lead to block the emission of harmful X-rays. So long as the lead is locked within the glass of a CRT, it presents no real threat, but if 700,000 tons of CRT TVs were disposed of in a year, and only 18 percent are recycled, then 580,000 tons of CRT TVs found their way into landfills!
To find a location to safely and easily recycle unwanted TVs, go to
www.GreenerGadgets.org
All top-heavy furniture, and furniture with doors, drawers or shelves should be secured. Install dresser drawer stops on 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 tip.
Pottery Barn Tip Demo
Use brackets, braces or wall scraps to secure furniture. Below are myriad options available for straps. And, of course, Safe and Sound with Amaya will supply you with Mommy’s Helper tip-resistant furniture safety brackets at no charge using this.
Anti Tip Furniture Strap
