Nearly 1000 Australians are badly injured each year as a result of unsteady wardrobes, shelves, drawers and TV units — and in the last 24 years, 28 people have died.
Now, furniture suppliers are required by new consumer laws to ensure a number of steps are taken to mitigate further deaths as a result of toppling furniture in Australia.
Head injuries, crush injuries, and suffocation are the main causes of death as a result of toppling furniture, and of those who have died since the year 2000, 17 of the fatalities have been children under the age of five.
The new toppling furniture information standard, made by the Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones on May 3, is a “critical step towards reducing the injuries and deaths,” ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said on Tuesday.
Each year, more than 900 Australians suffer injuries requiring medical assistance from toppling furniture, the ACCC said.
Children under the age of four are the most at risk, but elderly Australians are also vulnerable.
The new toppling furniture information standard will require suppliers to attach a permanent warning label to furniture, and to include safety information and advice about anchoring furniture in manuals and assembly instructions.
It will also require suppliers to provide warnings about the hazards of toppling furniture in furniture stores and online.
For businesses at fault, the maximum penalty for breaching the standard is $50 million.
It excludes second-hand and resold furniture, and furniture already designed to be fastened to the wall.
Consumers have also been warned to take steps to prevent toppling furniture.
“The best way to prevent furniture from tipping over is to secure it to the wall or floor,” ACCC said.
“What you’ll need depends on what your wall or floor is made of, and what kind of furniture you’re working with. There are different kinds of wall and floor anchors available.
“If your furniture doesn’t come with anchoring hardware, you can ask about anchors and buy what you need from a furniture retailer, hardware store or a speciality store for baby goods.”
Keeping heavy items in bottom drawers to prevent furniture from becoming top-heavy, and locking drawers so that children don’t use them as stairs to climb on, are other ways the ACCC suggests parents can make their homes safer.
Examining furniture at the shop before you bring it home to ensure it’s sturdy and stable is also recommended.
