Red Nose and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommend taking steps to prevent unstable furniture and TVs from toppling over and crushing a child. Red Nose’s National Education and Health Promotion Manager, Loren Rushton, recommends following Product Safety Australia’s tips when buying furniture, especially if you have young children in your home or who might visit.
“Look for the safety and warning labels on furniture and attach, anchor, mount, bolt or otherwise secure furniture and televisions to walls and floors,” said Ms Rushton. To further prevent accidents at home, Ms. Rushton urges parents to take proactive measures. “Discourage small children from climbing on furniture and avoid placing tempting items, such as favourite toys, on top of furniture where children might try to reach them. “Additionally, do not put heavy items on top shelves of bookcases and avoid placing unstable furniture near areas where children play, ” Ms Rushton said.
Product Safety Australia’s tips
Freestanding household furniture can be dangerous if it falls or topples over. This type of furniture includes the following:
- Bookcases
- Chests of drawers and wardrobes
- Cabinets
- Entertainment units
- Unsecured televisions
- Hall tables, buffets and sideboards
Things to look for when buying the product
Serious injuries and deaths have happened when furniture or TVs have fallen onto children and adults. For this reason, there’s a mandatory information standard that suppliers and retailers must comply with.
Think about safety when you’re buying furniture and TVs, especially if you have young children in your home or who might visit. When you’re out shopping, use these tips to help you choose safer furniture.
- Examine the furniture to make sure it is stable.
- Pull out any top drawers of a chest of drawers or open doors on other furniture items and apply a little pressure to see how stable the furniture is.
- Make sure the drawers don’t fall out easily.
- Look for built-in drawer stops that limit how far drawers can be extended or interlocks that prevent more than one drawer being opened at a time.
- Look for furniture with sturdy backing material which increases stability.
- Look for low-set furniture, or furniture with a sturdy, stable and broad base. It’s less likely to tip over.
- Look for furniture that comes with safety information or equipment to anchor it to the wall. If it doesn’t, you can buy an anchoring kit. Ask a staff member if you need help to choose the right product for your home.
- Plan your purchase. Think about where the furniture will go.
- Can you anchor your furniture to the wall or floor?
How to use the product safely
- Place furniture on a flat, even surface where possible. Furniture is more unstable when placed on an uneven or soft surface, such as carpet or a rug.
- If you plan to place your furniture on carpet against a wall, check to make sure the carpet isn’t bulging. Sometimes, carpet can become thicker and more uneven at the wall’s edge, and this can make furniture less stable.
- The best way to prevent furniture from tipping over is to secure it to the wall or floor.
- If your furniture doesn’t come with anchoring hardware, you can buy what you need from a furniture retailer, hardware store or a specialty store for baby goods. You can also do this if you’re securing furniture you’ve had for a while or bought second-hand.
- What you’ll need depends on what your wall or floor is made of, and what kind of furniture you’re working with. There are different kinds of wall and floor anchors available. If you’re not sure, ask for advice at your local hardware shop, or ask a tradesperson.
- Most TVs come with anchor straps. You can use them to attach your TV to the wall or to another piece of furniture, like a TV stand or entertainment unit.
- Choose a spot for your TV that’s stable and low to the ground.
- Don’t put TVs on furniture that isn’t intended for this purpose, such as a chest of drawers.
- If you secure the TV to a piece of furniture, make sure the furniture is also secured to the wall.
Keep your children safe
- Young children don’t understand the risks, but they are the most likely to be hurt or killed by toppling furniture or TVs.
As well as securing your furniture and TVs, here are some things you can do to help keep them safe: - Keep your heaviest items at the bottom of your drawers or shelves. Furniture that is top-heavy is easier to tip over.
- Don’t place heavy items such as TVs or items that are attractive to children on top of furniture.
- Put locking devices on all drawers. They help prevent children from opening them and using them as steps.
Risks and injuries from the product
Toppling furniture has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes nearly 20 injuries every week. Children under five years old are most at risk of serious harm from toppling furniture or TVs. Toppling furniture can hit, trap or crush someone underneath resulting in the following:
- Broken or dislocated bones
- Head and brain injuries
- Crush injuries
- Suffocation
- Asphyxiation (loss of oxygen).
Heavy items, such as TVs, placed on top of furniture may fall when furniture becomes unstable, contributing to the severity of injuries. Although modern TVs are much thinner and lighter when compared to older models, they can still cause serious injuries or death if they topple onto small children.
Opening drawers or doors shifts the weight of the unit forward and the additional weight of a child further increases the risk of toppling.
From 4 May 2025, certain furniture products must comply with the Consumer Goods (Toppling Furniture) Information Standard 2024.
This means suppliers must:
Attach permanent warning labels to furniture
Display point of sale warnings, both instore and online
Include information about the risk of toppling furniture in any instruction manuals provided with the furniture.
For further information on the new requirements and consumer advice, please visit: www.accc.gov.au/media-release/new-laws-to-increase-awareness-of-the-dangers-of-toppling-furniture
Red Nose is Australia’s leading authority on safe sleep and safer pregnancy advice as well as bereavement support for anyone affected by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth or the death of a baby or child.
The Red Nose Grief and Loss Support Line is available 24/7 for anyone affected by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth or death of a baby or child on 1300 308 307.
For all your safe sleep questions reach out to the Red Nose Safe Sleep Advice for Parents and Carers line on 1300 998 698 during business hours or email education@rednose.org.au