CPSC Adopts New Mandatory Standards to Prevent Child Tip-Over Deaths and Injuries

Nearly 200 children have died since 2000 due to furniture tip over accidents, according to safety officials.

Federal safety officials have adopted new mandatory safety standards that are designed to prevent furniture tip over accidents, which have been linked to thousands of reported child injuries and deaths.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a press release on April 19, announcing it has voted to approve making the current voluntary furniture safety standards, ASTM F2057-23, a mandatory requirement for the furniture industry as of May this year.

The mandatory standards will require dressers, chests and other clothing storage furniture to be put through rigorous testing to ensure they cannot easily tip over on children.

Furniture Tip-Over Accidents

Furniture tip-over prevention has become a major focus of the CPSC in recent years, following a number of injuries and deaths of children. These accidents often occur when a child wants to reach for something up high on a dresser or the top of a television, and their weight causes the furniture to fall over on top of them.

Officials indicate that over 84,100 children were treated for furniture tip over injuries in U.S. hospitals from 2006 through 2021. During this timeframe, approximately 234 deaths resulted from furniture tip-over accidents, 199 of which were children.

The new safety regulations will require the furniture industry to implement the new Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) standard for dressers, armoires, wardrobes, and other clothing storage units by May 24, 2023.

The new STURDY standard will force manufacturers to meet the following performance requirements to protect children up to 72 months old;

• tests for stability when the unit is placed on carpeting
• tests for stability with loaded drawers and with multiple drawers open
• tests that simulate the weight of children up to 60 pounds interacting with the unit.

“The step we’ve taken today could not have been done without years of work by advocates and Commission staff,”said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “CPSC’s new rule backed by STURDY will significantly reduce tip-over-related deaths and injuries and provides peace of mind to families across the country.”

Manufacturers of clothing storage furniture are required to comply with the new legislation within 120 days after publication and will be monitored by the CPSC to ensure that the new safety requirements are implemented.

Consumers are encouraged to securely anchor their furniture to the wall to prevent tip over injuries and fatalities. For more information, visit anchorit.gov.