6B • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 GMTODAY.COM
SERVICES
Place your ad 24/7 @ www.gmtoday.com/classifieds
For assistance call 262.306.5000 or conleyclass@conleynet.com
.COM
Southeast Wisconsin
DRYWALL
CONCRETE
CLEANING
CARPENTRY
AUTO REPAIR HANDYMAN
HEALTH & BEAUTY
HEATING & COOLING
HOME REPAIR & IMPROVEMENT
TREE TRIMMING
PLUMBING
PAINTING
LAWN CARE & LANDSCAPING
HIRE A
PRO
SERVICES
Place your ad 24/7 @ www.gmtoday.com/classifieds
For assistance call 262.306.5000 or conleyclass@conleynet.com
.COM
Southeast Wisconsin
A home is supposed to be
a safe haven for its residents.
But dangers lurk in nearly
every room of a home.
Parents may be quick to
safeguard against burn
risks, electrical outlet
exposure and even
common household items
that can prove poisonous
if ingested, but it's easy to
overlook the potential
hazards posed by furniture.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
warns that hundreds of
fatalities occur each year
in the United States due to
falling furniture, electronics
and appliances. According
to a recent report from the
Consumer Product Safety
Commission, an estimated
12,500 children per year
were injured and treated at
emergency rooms due to
tip-over accidents between
2016 and 2018. Roughly once
every 12 days someone is
killed by a falling TV, piece
of furniture or appliance.
AnchorIt.gov, a division
of the CPSC that focuses
on tip-over education,
says dressers, bookshelves,
televisions, and TV stands
can tip over easily. These
measures may prevent death
and injury from falling
appliances and furniture.
• All TVs should be
mounted to a wall or piece
of furniture. Wall-mount-
ing kits are available for
most TVs, including older
models. Screws also can
secure a TV to a piece of
furniture. New televisions
typically have anchor spots
on their frames.
• Buy anti-tip kits. The
CPSC says anti-tip devices,
also known as anchoring
kits or anti-tip strap, are
available and affordable.
These kits can take as little
as five minutes to install and
provide invaluable safety.
• Target dressers, book-
cases, mirrors, and other
heavy furniture pieces.
If an anchoring kit is
unavailable, furniture can
be screwed directly to studs
in a wall using drywall
screws and brackets.
• Keep certain electron-
ics out of sight. Many
children climb furniture in
an attempt to get at iPads,
remote controls, toys, and
other things parents believe
are out of reach. Climbing
increases tip-over risk.
Instead, hide items else-
where so that children are
not tempted to try to retrieve
them by climbing furniture.
• Install drawer stops.
Stops can be placed on
drawers to keep them from
being pulled all the way out
and serving as makeshift
ladder rungs for kids to
climb. Also, multiple open
drawers can cause weight
to shift precariously in a
dresser or other item,
resulting in a tip-over.
Tip-over injuries are a very
real concern but also very
easily prevented.
© ADOBE STOCK
Avoid furniture tip-over hazards at home
