Toppling Furniture & TV’s
Toppling furniture and televisions: Anchor them for child safety
Children like climbing things and never think of the possible consequences, especially if there is something up high that they want. However, the weight of furniture like bookshelves and entertainment units is enough to crush them.
Sadly, at least 22 children under the age of nine years have died in Australia since 2001 in accidents like this.
While most parents are aware of certain risks and furniture like bookshelves have equipment and instructions for anchoring them to a wall at purchase, other items such as chests of drawers, sideboards and TV stands often do not come with instructions and equipment and are not considered hazardous until accidents occur.
Source: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/news/anchor-furniture-to-stop-deaths-and-injuries
Safety tips
- Attach, mount, bolt or otherwise secure furniture and televisions to walls and floors.
- Put locking devices on all drawers to prevent children opening them and using them as steps.
- Do not put heavy items on top shelves of bookcases.
- Discourage small children from climbing on furniture.
- Do not put tempting items such as favourite toys on top of furniture that encourages children to climb up and reach.
- Do not place unstable furniture near where children play.
Buying tips
- Look for furniture that comes with anchoring devices. If it doesn’t include them, ask whether they’re available in the store.
- Purchase low-set furniture or furniture with sturdy, stable and broad bases.
- Tell retail staff if you have small children in your home so they can advise you about safer options.
- Ask if your retailer applies the Best Practice Guide to their product range.
Mandatory Information Standard
The ACCC declared a new mandatory product standard in May 2024 setting a series of labelling and information requirements for a range of free-standing furniture.
The standard comes into effect on 4 May 2025.
Businesses can access the legislative instrument here. The ACCC has also provided a set of guidelines to assist suppliers to implement the mandatory standard on the Product Safety Australia website.
Best Practice Guide
The National Retail Association has published an updated Best Practice Guide for Furniture and Television Toppling Prevention.
National Retail first published the Supplier Guide in 2017, available to all at no cost. It has become an essential resource for furniture retailers across Australia and overseas with many businesses voluntarily adopting its recommended practices. With the introduction of the new ACL mandatory information standard, the National Retail Association Product Safety Furniture Working Group has revised the Guide. Version 2 now covers aspects of the mandatory standard (Part 1) and extends the guidance to cover other types of furniture and additional measures that suppliers can take to address the hazards (Part 2).
DOWNLOAD THE BEST PRACTICE GUIDE
Get involved
The NRA Technical Standards Committee (NRA-TSC) brings together quality assurance and product compliance specialists from multiple retail categories to discuss challenges and solutions in terms of product safety and compliance.
This group provides an opportunity for retailers to:
- Keep up to date with changes in the technical standards applying to your products
- Learn from your peers in other Australian retail chains and stores about problems and solutions
- Contribute to and formulate national policy and standards as a Standards Australia nominating committee
- Engage in the dialogue between the retail sector and government and regulators about the issues concerning your business
- Attend presentations on topical issues from guest speakers from industry, regulators and suppliers
- Network with other product safety professionals and specialists in your field of expertise
Contact our team
David Stout
Director Policy
National Retail Association
David is a highly-respected senior executive across a wide range of retail sectors including corporate affairs, operations, customer insights, finance, procurement, risk and regulation, stakeholder engagement, community and supply chain. He is favourably regarded as a bipartisan and ethical operative in best practice across retail and corporate industry, regional and urban councils, local and state governments, and is currently involved in multiple advisory groups / committees.
Ebony Johnson
Project Manager, Policy
National Retail Association
As Project Manager in the Policy team, Ebony brings a strong background across the retail, textile, and hospitality sectors in project management, stakeholder relations, marketing and communications. Ebony provides project management expertise to multiple projects, including sustainability, product safety, retail crime and committees.