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A former paramedic has urged every parent to always secure furniture to the wall at home – including tenants living in rental properties.
Nicky Yurkutz, who was a paramedic for eight years in the ER Victoriashared an exciting video about what can happen when a dresser flips over.
The footage shows a curious little girl pulling out a dresser drawer to peek inside.
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Moments later, an adult can be seen opening three drawers at once, causing the dresser to dramatically topple over.
Fortunately, the furniture was securely fastened to the wall with strong tape.
“It could literally save your baby’s life,” the founder of the Children’s Safety Organization Education for little hearts said in an Instagram post
“Do I really need to secure my furniture? Yes.”
Children under the age of four are most at risk of knocking over furniture.
Adults are also at risk, not just children.
According to the ACCC, 28 people, including 17 children under the age of five, have died in Australia from falling furniture since 2000.
And each year, more than 900 people sustain injuries requiring medical attention.
“Here are some tips to keep your home safe: Secure furniture to the wall, make sure furniture is stable and sturdy, keep heavy items on lower shelves, and avoid placing televisions or tempting items on top of furniture,” Yurkutz said.
Large pieces of furniture such as dressers, wardrobes, bookcases and televisions that are not properly secured can tip over when young children try to climb or pull themselves onto these heavy items.
If you are a parent living in a rental, tenants can get permission from the landlord or real estate agent to install a furniture bar, corner bracket, or anchor to the wall.
“Under Australian rental laws, tenants can ask landlords for permission to install safety devices,” Yurkutz said.
“Many landlords have a duty to give reasonable consideration to these requests, particularly to improve safety.”
The NSW Government says a landlord has no right to refuse consent for minor alterations, which include fixing furniture to a wall for the safety of children.
Furniture suppliers will be required to provide safety warnings to consumers about the dangers of falling furniture hazards after Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones introduced new safety standards earlier this month.
“This will help raise awareness of the dangers of toppling furniture and hopefully prevent further deaths or injuries,” Yurkutz said.
Her video has been viewed more than 2.6 million times, with many sharing near-death experiences with falling furniture.
“My little brother climbed on my mother’s dresser when he was about three. He would have definitely died or been seriously injured if the very edge of the dresser hadn’t caught on the arm of the couch that was a few feet away. We all learned a very valuable lesson that day,” shared one.
Another tearfully said: “As a child, a wardrobe fell on me twice.”
Many thanked Yurkutz for sharing the warning with parents.
“Couldn’t agree more – it gave me such peace of mind knowing they couldn’t pull them off,” said one.
Another shared: “This is why I never put drawers in my daughter’s room! That was one of my biggest fears.”
Some tenants admitted that they were worried about the landlord or agent disapproving of fixing furniture to the walls.
“If you’re renting and you’re worried about the consequences, it’s legal under tenancy law that you have the right to modify the house to make it safe for the baby, including gates,” said one.
Another added: “Those worried about landlords disapproval… This is literally your child’s life.”
How to choose safer furniture
- Check the furniture to make sure it is stable
- Pull out all the top drawers of a dresser or open the doors of other furniture and apply light 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 locks that prevent more than one drawer from being opened at once
- Look for furniture with a sturdy base that increases stability
- Look for low furniture or furniture with a strong, stable and wide base. Less likely to tip over
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