A calm bedroom with a wooden chest of drawers standing against a pale wall, a lamp and a folded throw nearby
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodledresser

WHAT SAFETY BODIES SAY

Anchor it
to the wall.

ANCHOR IT even if it looks steady

  • Strap tall furniture
  • Mount or secure the TV
  • Keep tops clear
  • Small fixings, steadier rooms

To a small child, drawers look like stairs.

Tall furniture and televisions can fall if a child climbs or pulls on them. Product safety bodies in the US and Australia come back to one cheap fix: anchor the furniture and mount the TV.

Updated

Check a room

THE SHORT ANSWER

Anchor it,
even if it looks steady.

Furniture tips when weight goes in the wrong place.
The guidance focuses on anchoring, choosing and clearing.

ANCHORING

Strap it to the wall

Western Australia's consumer protection agency says the best way to stop furniture tipping is anchoring it to the wall, with angle braces or anchors.

How to do it

TELEVISIONS

Mount the TV

University of Kentucky advice says to mount TVs to the wall where possible, or use anti-tip straps on furniture designed to hold a TV.

See the numbers

CHOOSING

Broad and bottom-heavy

An Australian regulator's issues paper says furniture is more stable when it is shorter, wider, deeper and bottom-heavy. Choose broad bases rather than legs.

Check the furniture

A QUICK ROOM CHECK

Which piece
are you looking at?

Pick a piece of furniture to see what the guidance suggests. The bar shows how strongly the sources point to anchoring or securing it.

Furniture check

Choose a piece
Chest of drawersAnchor it

The US Anchor It campaign says it is vitally important to anchor dressers and clothing storage furniture, including new ones that meet the latest stability standard.

TV on a standMount or strap

Mount the TV to the wall where possible. If not, put it only on furniture designed to hold it and use anti-tip straps.

BookcaseAnchor it

Bookcases are on every list of furniture that can tip. WA Consumer Protection advises securing unstable furniture with angle braces or anchors.

Fridge or cookerSecure if possible

University of Kentucky advice notes that refrigerators and stoves can tip too, and suggests attaching furniture and appliances with straps or brackets.

TableChoose stable

Choose tables that will not tip if a child climbs on them, and thick toughened glass for glass tables, says WA Consumer Protection.

Sources: US CPSC Anchor It tip card (2023); WA Consumer Protection, Furniture and television stability; University of Kentucky UKNow (2022).

Based on US Consumer Product Safety Commission Anchor It material, WA Consumer Protection and University of Kentucky advice. General information only.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Most falls involve TVs,
furniture is next.

Both figures come from US safety campaigns,
reported by the University of Kentucky in 2022.

3 every hour

Children seriously injured by falling TVs, furniture or appliances in the US

The University of Kentucky column, written by a Safe Kids coordinator, says every two weeks a child is killed by a falling TV, furniture or appliance, and every hour three children are seriously injured.

INJURIES · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

≈ 70%

Share of these incidents caused by a falling TV

About 70 percent are caused by a falling TV and 26 percent by dressers, bookcases and other furniture.

CAUSES · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Since September 2023, US rules require dressers and other clothing storage furniture 27 inches or taller to pass three stability tests and to come with a tip-over warning and an anchoring kit.

FOUR STEPS TO TRY

Steadier furniture,
in an afternoon.

A flat-screen television mounted on a living room wall above a low, wide wooden cabinet with nothing on top
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Anchoring kits are low cost and often come in the box. These steps follow the advice of product safety bodies.

  1. Use the strap in the box

    Anchoring devices are often included by the manufacturer. If one came with the furniture, fit it rather than throwing it away.

  2. Fix tall pieces to the wall

    Secure chests of drawers, bookcases and wardrobes with angle braces, straps or anchors. In a rented home, ask the landlord first.

  3. Mount or strap the TV

    Wall-mount flat screens where you can, or strap the TV to a stand that is designed to carry it.

  4. Clear the tops

    Do not leave remote controls, toys, food or other tempting things on top of furniture, where children might climb to reach them.

WHEN YOU BUY

Test it
in the shop.

Adult hands using a screwdriver to fix a metal anti-tip bracket between the top of a chest of drawers and the wall
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

WA Consumer Protection suggests pulling out the drawers and pushing down to check how stable a piece is, especially a chest of drawers, and choosing furniture with broad, stable bases instead of legs.

The mandatory standard described by WA Consumer Protection requires tip-over warnings on clothing storage units, bookcases and sideboards 686 mm or taller, and on all entertainment units. Child-resistant drawer locks can also stop children opening drawers to climb them.

Questions

Questions people ask

Why do chests of drawers tip over?

Furniture and televisions can fall if a child climbs or pulls on them, says WA Consumer Protection. University of Kentucky advice notes that even heavy furniture can tip if weight is applied in the right place.

Do I need to anchor new furniture?

Yes. The US Anchor It campaign says to anchor dressers and clothing storage furniture even when they meet the newer stability standard, along with other furniture with doors, drawers and shelves.

What is the best place to put a TV?

Mounting it on the wall where possible. If it stays on a stand, use furniture designed to hold a TV and add anti-tip straps.

I rent. Can I fix furniture to the wall?

Ask your landlord for permission first. Western Australia even has a standard form for tenants to request it, and tenancy laws in some Australian states have changed to allow renters to secure furniture.

What should I look for when buying furniture?

Broad, stable bases instead of legs, and a piece that stays steady when you pull out the drawers and push down. Furniture that is shorter, wider, deeper and bottom-heavy is more stable.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. US CPSC Anchor It: New federal rule to prevent furniture tip overs (tip card, 2023)
  2. WA Consumer Protection: Furniture and television stability
  3. University of Kentucky UKNow: Anchor TVs and furniture to prevent injury (2022)
  4. Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne: The tipping point, safeguarding your home from falling furniture
  5. Safe Kids Worldwide: The dangers of TV tip-overs, a report to the nation on home safety (2012)

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