WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, constantly monitors the consumer goods market for dangerous and potentially lethal consumer products. Two of the products under vigilant watch by the CPSC are dresser drawers and televisions. These two appliances pose a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to a child from […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, constantly monitors the consumer goods market for dangerous and potentially lethal consumer products. Two of the products under vigilant watch by the CPSC are dresser drawers and televisions. These two appliances pose a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to a child from tipping. According to a report appearing on the clickondetroit.com website, the CPSC monitors products such as these in the event that a recall campaign must be announced. Merchants recalled two dressers in February of 2020 because of the potential that they might tip over if a child attempted to scale the furniture.
The problem is more common that one might initially suspect. According to a statistical analysis compiled and maintained by the CPSC, 450 children died since 2000 after a piece of furniture such as a dresser, television, or other appliance tipped over upon them. In other words, one child dies every two weeks in the United States because a piece of furniture overturns on them. The risk of injury from an overturned appliance is exceptionally high for a child. The CPSC estimates that nearly 20,000 children each year sustain an injury after a piece of furniture or appliance tips over.
Just recently, the CPSC instituted two recall campaigns for dressers that present a substantial risk to children from tipping. The Home Depot sold a dresser from May of 2015 until December 2015 that the CPSC recalled because of a tipping risk. Additionally, Overstock.com and Wayfair.com offered for sale a dresser made by Safavieh from November 2017 to November 2019 that was unsafe due to an unreasonable tipping risk. Consumers who own these items should contact the distributors immediately to learn how the recall programs affect them. Furthermore, the CPSC suggests to parents that toys and other items that attract a child’s attention must be stored in a different location rather than in a place that might be tempting to a child to climb.