Walmart Four-Drawer Chest Recall Issued Due to Tip-Over Risk

About 8,000 four-drawer chests sold exclusively at Walmart stores are being recalled, due to problems where they may tip-over and cause severe injuries for young children. 

The Walmart chest recall was announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on August 16, due to a manufacturing problem that makes them unstable.

While there have been no reports of injuries associated with the Walmart chests, furniture tip over accidents have gained substantial attention from federal regulators in recent years, following a number of incidents involving young children who were severely injured or killed when pinned beneath a heavy furniture piece that tipped over.

According to the CPSC, there is a manufacturing problem with the Walmart chestsI which results in them becoming unstable unless they are properly anchored to the wall. The CPSC says the chests fail to meet the U.S. voluntary industry standard and warns that they pose a tip-over and entrapment risk that could seriously injure or kill small children.

The recall affects about 8,000 Storybook brand four-drawer wooden chests, with model number 4116407. They are white, laminated and have a single white wood pull on each drawer. The recalled chests were manufactured between April 2016 and June 2016 and have a label with a date code of 04/2016, 05/2016, or 06/2016 located on the back. They are 42.13 inches tall, 29.25 inches wide, and 16.25 inches deep.

The chests were made in the U.S. and distributed by Sauder Woodworking Co., of Archbold, Ohio. they were sold exclusively on www.walmart.com for about $100 from April 2016 through June 2016.

The CPSC is recommending owners of the recalled chests stop using them immediately if they are not properly anchored and put them in a location inaccessible to children. The manufacturer, Sauder, is trying to contact all known buyers directly and send them free repair and wall-anchoring kits. It is also offering a full refund.

Consumers with questions can contact Sauder Woodworking at 800-523-3987 or go to www.sauder.com and click “Public Notices” for more information.

Furniture Tip-Over Concerns

The recall comes amid growing concerns over the risk of tip-over accidents linked to dressers, chests, televisions and entertainment centers that are not properly anchored to a wall and may fall onto young children.

Children are inherently more susceptible to tip-over accidents from climbing and reaching for items at the top of dressers, or television stands, whether it is for a remote, gaming equipment or toys. The CPSC recommends that parents never leave items desirable to children on dressers and other top heavy furniture that would entice the child to try and climb or reach for them.

Thus far, the parents of two children killed by IKEA MALM dressers have filed lawsuits against the company, seeking compensation for their losses and to bring awareness to the potential dangers the MALM line of furniture poses to children.

According to CPSC data, furniture and TV tip-over accidents have caused 430 deaths over the last 13 years and account for roughly 38,000 emergency rooms visits annually. As part of recent efforts to raise awareness about the risk of furniture tip over accidents, the commission indicated that at least one child dies every two weeks and another child is injured every 24 minutes in the U.S. from heavy furniture or televisions tipping over.

In June, an IKEA recall pulled more than 35 million child and adult chests and dressers from the market. The recall came after at least 17 injuries and three deaths were linked to its MALM dressers