IKEA Warns about Danger of Dressers Tipping Over after Two Children Fatally Injured

After two young children were fatally injured by chests of drawers that tipped over, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Swedish furniture maker IKEA have warned consumers not to allow children near these chests unless the chests are anchored to a wall.

The announcement covers 27 million chests and dressers above specific heights, including 7 million of IKEA’s Malm chests, the model responsible for the children’s deaths. IKEA is offering consumers a free repair kit to anchor the chests to a wall, the Associated Press (AP) reports. The CPSC said the kit to anchor the chests will be made available to customers who bought chests and dressers above specific heights. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said the chests “are unstable when built and used without a wall anchoring device.” Though the announcement is not being described by either the CPSC or IKEA as a recall, the AP explains that an offer to repair or replace a product is usually considered a recall.

The two children’s deaths occurred in 2014. Both boys were about two years old and each was fatally injured when a Malm chest not secured to the wall tipped over on him, according to IKEA and the CPSC. A two-year-old boy in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was fatally pinned against his bed in February 2014 when a Malm six-drawer chest fell on him, and a 23-month old boy from Snohomish, Washington, died after being trapped beneath a three-drawer Malm chest that tipped over.

In addition to the deaths, there were also 14 reports of Malm chests tipping over, causing four injuries. IKEA said it is aware of three other deaths involving other models of chests that tipped over, the AP reports. Those deaths reportedly happened since 1989. The CPSC and IKEA say consumers should not use IKEA children’s chests and dressers taller than 23½ inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29½ inches unless they are securely anchored to the wall. Consumers can obtain the free wall anchoring kit by visiting an IKEA retail store, going to www.IKEA-USA.com/saferhomestogether, or by calling (888) 966-4532.

The Malm chests covered by the safety alert have been sold since 2002 and are priced from $80 to $200. The company is not offering a refund or telling customers to return the furniture and customers do not need proof of purchase to get the anchoring kit. IKEA has been working with the CPSC for six months on the announcement. The company described this as a “corrective action,” according to the AP. The CPSC reviewed IKEA’s repair kit to make sure it would not make the problem worse, before the announcement was made.

Several other dresser recalls were announced this year as part of a CPSC campaign to warn parents about the risks of furniture that can tip over. None of other recalls was as large as the IKEA recall.

According to the CPSC, a child dies every two weeks and a child is injured every 24 minutes from furniture and televisions tipping over. To help prevent such injuries and deaths, the agency urges parents and caregivers to securely anchor furniture and televisions to the wall.

 

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