The Consumer Product Safety Commission has produced new rules for dressers to prevent fatal furniture falls.
The regulation, from the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) law signed in December, applies to free-standing furniture used to store clothing. Applicable furniture must now conduct three safety tests in order to comply with federal regulations.
The clothing storage units will have to be tested for their stability on carpets and similar surfaces, when drawers are loaded and open, and when interacted with by a child weighing up to 60 pounds.
From 2000 through April 2022, there were 234 confirmed fatalities caused by falling clothing storage units; 199 were children, according to the CPSC.
“We are thrilled that … after nearly two decades of tireless advocacy, we will finally have a strong, effective, mandatory safety and stability standard that addresses the real-world causes of [tip-overs],” Parents Against Tip-Overs wrote in a statement.
Home Furnishings Association CEO Mark Schumacher told members in a letter, “By year’s end there will be new standards in place, and there will be changes to many clothing storage units. The difference is that STURDY is reasonable when it comes to implementation and what you can do with your existing inventory. Let’s not lose sight of the fact, however, that this is at its core a child safety issue, and this is a win for your customers and their children.”
