Spring Home Improvements: Decorate, De-clutter and Prevent Deadly Tip Overs

"As the weather warms and a new season begins, it is the perfect time to take simple, proactive steps to make your home safer for your family.

Every 30 minutes, a child in the U.S. is hurt, and every two weeks a child dies as a result of a furniture and/or TV tip-over incident. To better understand what can lead to TV tip-overs, CPSC studied nearly 300 reports of nonfatal incidents.

Here’s what we learned and here’s how you can use the information this spring to make major home safety changes with minimal effort:

• • The majority (83.5 percent) of TV falls occurred when a child climbed on furniture where a TV was sitting on top. Children are curious and climb to pull or stand on a drawer or shelf, usually in an effort to reach the TV or other items on top of the furniture.
    Spring cleaning tip: Mount TVs or place them on furniture designed to hold a TV. Then remove any objects that might tempt a child to climb.
  • More than 90 percent of incidents involved CRT TVs. These older and bulky tube TVs are more tip prone because they are heavier in the front. When they fall, the heavy TVs can fall with the force of up to 12,000 pounds.
    Spring cleaning tip: Get rid of this potentially deadly danger. Remove and recycle the unused CRT TV rather than moving it to another room.
  • In all but one incident studied, anti-tip devices were not installed. Newer dressers are sold with anti-tip devices and flat-panel TVs have pre-drilled holes for anchoring. Anchoring furniture and TVs is easy, inexpensive and only takes a few minutes.Spring cleaning tip: Check your tool kit for the anti-tip kit sold with your child’s dresser and once found, install it. You will have a safer home. If you can’t find yours, buy an anti-tip device..."
    Spring home improvements