National TV Safety Day

Saturday, February 7^th is  National TV Safety Day.  Traditionally, it’s recognized the day

before the Super Bowl, and it gives you the perfect opportunity to make sure you’re keeping your family safe from TV or furniture tip-overs. It’s important to be aware of the hazards of furniture and TVs – in the U.S. a child dies every 3 weeks from a TV tipping over.

Essential TV and Furniture Safety Steps

· Secure all TVs and Furniture: Mount all flat-screen televisions directly to the wall to prevent tip-overs or secure them to a stand.

· Anchor Furniture to the Wall: Make sure to anchor all furniture like dressers

and shelving units. You can use the anchors provided with the furniture or purchase an anchoring kit. AnchorIt.gov/resources has step by step instructions. Worried about damaging your walls if you’re a renter? They provide step information about how to repair your wall once the anchor is removed.

· Manage Heavy CRT TVs: Place old, heavy, “box-style” TVs on low, stable furniture designed to hold their weight. Never place them on top of a dresser or a tall shelving unit.

· Recycle Old TVs: If your family no longer uses the old TV, find a recycling center and remove the hazard entirely.

· Rearrange items: Keep remotes, toys, and food off the top of TVs or high furniture to discourage kids from climbing.

It is important to understand the STURDY Act. The STURDY Act, which went into effect on September 1, 2023,  is a mandatory federal furniture safety standard which applies to dressers and other clothing storage furniture that are 27 inches or taller. These units must pass three stability tests that reflect “real world” factors that can cause tip over including multiple open drawers, drawers holding clothes, forces from a child standing on or pulling on the furniture, and the effect of carpeting. However, furniture can last a long time and be passed down so many homes have furniture purchased well before this standard went into effect. It remains vitally important to anchor ALL furniture and TVs.

No matter if you’re rooting for the Seahawks or the Patriots, we can all agree that we want to keep our families safe from theses hazard in our homes.