The Consumer Product Safety Commission is weighing in on a new dresser design meant to prevent furniture tip-overs.
Millions of dressers have been recalled, many of them from IKEA, but now the retailer says it has come up with a new design to help prevent tip-overs from happening in the first place.
For years parents and consumers safety advocates have been putting the pressure on the furniture industry to build safer dressers.
“My husband went to wake him for breakfast two days before his second birthday. And he was under his dresser and not breathing,” Crystal Ellis said.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is now calling for more rigorous standards as well.
“Back in February I made an announcement that my position was that the voluntary standards should go to 60 pounds with the dressers being covered 27 inches and above,” CPSC Action Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle said.
Manufacturers are also being encouraged to be more innovative when it comes to safety.
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IKEA has announced a new series of dressers and chest of drawers, called Glesvar, designed to prevent tip-overs. The furniture has three stability features. The interlock only allows you to open one drawer at a time unless it is attached to a wall.
Another version of the dresser will prevent you from opening any of the drawers unless it is attached to a wall. A third solution is a two-legged chest of drawers that needs to be secured to the wall to stand up right. They will be available in the U.S. in December.
“As an agency we talk about designing out the hazard and perhaps these dressers will do just that,” Buerkle said.
When it comes to the dressers that are already in our homes, the best way to prevent tragedy is to anchor it.
“You can anchor your dresser in five minutes. The straps are relatively inexpensive. Now when you buy a dresser part of the standard is it has to have straps with it,” Buerkle said.
Also, be mindful of what you place on top of your dressers.
“Not to put a TV or toys or anything attractive on top of that dresser. Because the children if they want something they will pull out those drawers and they will climb up that dresser,” Buerkle said.
Discussions are happening right now on those stricter standards for furniture stability. The CPSC tells us adding dressers between 27 and 30 inches has won support but now they just have to get everybody on board with the 60-pound tip-over test.
