Furniture Tipover

Thousands of children are injured each year as a result of furniture tipover accidents. ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products continues to address emerging hazards associated with furniture tipover through its standard, ASTM F2057, Safety Specification for Chests, Door Chests and Dressers. Recently approved revisions to this standard concern issues of tip restraints and warning labels.

ASTM F2057, which is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F15.42 on Furniture Safety, is intended to reduce injuries and deaths of children from hazards associated with tipover of clothing storage units, covering chests, drawer chests, chests of drawers, dressers and bureaus.

The standard features two tests: one that measures the stability of a piece of furniture in unloaded condition, and the stability with load test, which simulates a child around the age of five attempting to climb up or down on the furniture.

The latest revisions to ASTM F2057 include the following:

• Chests, door chests and dressers are now required to include a tip restraint unit that parents can use to secure the piece of furniture to a wall.
• A conspicuously placed warning label that explains the hazards of furniture tipover is now a requirement of ASTM F2057. This label includes a notation not to place televisions on chests, door chests and dressers as well as warnings to place the heaviest objects in the lowest drawers, to not allow children to climb on the furniture and never to open more than one drawer at a time.

Subcommittee F15.42 welcomes participation from all interested parties as it continues its work on future revisions to ASTM F2057 and other standards related to furniture safety.

CONTACT

Technical Information: Daniel Lauzier, Ethan Allen Inc., Danbury, Conn.

Phone: 203-743-8326

ASTM Staff: Leonard Morrissey

Phone: 610-832-9719