Do you know that it is recommended that all furniture that can be climbed on or that is greater than 600 in height should be fixed to the wall?? I am sure for many this is a shock. How many of us have buffets, and storage units, tall boys and display shelves around our homes and we never think twice about the danger these pieces present to our families.
According to the ACCC hundreds of serious injuries and two deaths each year are attributed to toppling furniture and televisions. Everyone with children knows how accidents can happen in the blink of an eye but with some simple steps you can take action and ensure your home is safe from toppling furniture and ensure your family and friends remain safe at all times within your home.
Secure your furniture
Here at Brisbane Furniture your safety is our highest priority, therefore all of our storage units come complete with wall anchor kits to fix your furniture to the wall. With a few different variations available wall anchor kits generally consist of two mounting plates, one fixed to the rear of the furniture and the other fixed to the wall behind, the plates are then joined but a strap (similar to a zip tie) and tightened to ensure your furniture is safely fixed to the wall and prevent toppling.
If you already own furniture that does not have a mounting kit, these can be purchased from Bunnings, Target, Big W or all baby shops, or for a limited time we have 100 free kits to give away! So contact us HERE and ask for a kit and we will pop one in the mail to you.
Secure your TV
As well as securing your furniture it is also essential to secure your TV to the wall. TV’s often come with a mounting point on the rear of the screen, with a similar style mounting kit available consisting of the wall mount plate and strap to secure the screen back to the wall. Securing TV screens is particularly important if the screen is placed on top of a tall unit such as a tall boy.
Store heavy things at low height
Another simple tip to ensure safety in your home is to ensure anything heavy is stored at low heights. As well as helping to lower the centre of gravity of your furniture to reduce the chance of tipping it also means that heavy items can not be wobbled/shaken off high shelves and land on children below.
Ensure low drawers can not be used as ladder
If your little one is a bit of a climber it is also important to ensure all low level drawers are fixed closed. Often the allure of a toy placed on top of chest of drawers can prove too much and it is easy to pull out low level drawers to create your own ladder. This can pose a significant risk. With the drawers pulled out a furniture pieces centre of gravity has already shifted to a forward position. With the added weight of a child climbing on the drawers the risk of toppling is greatly increased. We therefore recommend increased safety measure such as drawer lock or catches (also available from Bunnings, Target, Big W or baby shops) to the lower drawers of storage units.
As you can see, with a few simple steps you can ensure your home is safe and sound and prevent any accidental injuries from toppling furniture. And don’t forget if you need a wall anchor kit for your furniture then don’t hesitate to contact us HERE for one of our free kits.
