That standard, established in 2000, states that a dresser 27 inches or taller should stay upright when a 50-pound weight is hung on a single open drawer while the others are closed. It does not account for what happens when dresser drawers are filled with clothes, when multiple drawers are opened at once, when a 21-pound toddler like Kaesyn pulls on a drawer, when a 60-pound child climbs on the drawers, or when a dresser is placed on carpet, among other real-world possibilities.
What’s more, because the current standard is voluntary, furniture manufacturers aren’t required by law to ensure that their dressers meet it before they are sold.
Instead, companies often urge consumers to anchor their furniture to the wall so that it doesn’t tip over, but that is not a fail-safe solution, CR’s ongoing investigation has shown. Many people don’t have the skills to install wall anchors, and some renters aren’t allowed to put holes in their walls because of the terms of their lease. And in certain circumstances, even properly installed anchors don’t hold, as was the case—captured on a baby monitor—when an anchored Ikea bookshelf tipped over onto twin toddlers who narrowly escaped injury.
Schakowsky says parents should not have to worry about whether their furniture is stable.
“As parents juggle supervising their children while working from home during the ongoing pandemic, they deserve peace of mind that their furniture is safe,” Schakowsky says. “Sadly, current voluntary furniture stability standards are inadequate, and unstable furniture continues to be a top hidden household hazard.” She says she is “reintroducing the STURDY Act to protect children from these preventable dangers and spare families from these painful situations resulting simply from a piece of furniture.”
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is expected to reintroduce the STURDY Act in the Senate tomorrow.
A spokesperson for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, an industry group, previously told CR that it “supports a mandatory stability standard that holds all manufacturers to a rigorous safety standard for clothing storage furniture.” But the group would rather see the CPSC institute the standard directly through the agency’s rulemaking procedure rather than be authorized through the STURDY Act because the bill could be “held up indefinitely in the legislative process.”
CPSC rulemaking, however, is also notoriously long, and can proceed as the STURDY Act moves through Congress.
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February 25, 2021 at 02:01AM
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The STURDY Act, a Bill Meant to Stop Fatal Furniture Tip-Overs, Is Reintroduced - ConsumerReports.org
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