New York State Senate announced legislation which has been signed into law to protect children from tip-over incidents involving heavy pieces of falling furniture or televisions.

On 29, December 2015 Anti-Tip-Over legislation was signed into law under senate bill S6399 [1] in Upstate New York.

The measure was inspired by two incidents; one of which occurred in Ogdensburg, and the other in Syracuse where two children were killed by a falling cabinet and television.

Under the new law, the State's Consumer Protection Division will be required to develop a public awareness campaign about the danger and the need for heavy furniture that could fall or be pulled down by a child, to be anchored to floors or walls.

In a study [2] conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) it has been reported that at least 430 deaths were attributed to tip-over incidents from 2000 to 2013, with 84 percent involving children under the age of nine. The statistics compiled by the CPSC, every two weeks a child in the United States dies as a result of tip-over incidents and every 24 minutes a child is admitted to an emergency room because of injuries caused by top heavy furniture or a television that has fallen on them.

To prevent injuries caused by tip-over incidents the CPSC recommends taking the following steps:

  • Make sure furniture is sturdy and don't place televisions or large items on top of anything that can't handle heavy weights;
  • Utilize mounts for flat screen televisions to eliminate the risk of tipping over;
  • If furniture comes with anti-tip devices, don't forget to install them;
  • Add anti-tip equipment to older pieces of furniture or televisions;
  • Don't place toys or other items that might attract children on top of televisions or heavy pieces of furniture; and
  • Set up restricted play areas for children that do not have any potential tip-over hazards.

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SGS SA issued this content on 2016-01-20 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 2016-01-21 09:24:02 UTC

Original Document: http://www.sgs.com/en/Our-Company/News-and-Media-Center/News-and-Press-Releases/2016/01/SafeGuardS-01516-US-New-York-State-Implements-New-Law-Aimed-at-Furniture-Tip-Over.aspx