Posted by Regan Zambri & Long.
As more households acquire or upgrade to big screen televisions, more dangers for children are associated with them. Although many of these TVs are lightweight, their bases and stands used to hold them frequently are much smaller. SafeKids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent unintentional childhood injury, recommends securing bookcases, shelving, televisions and appliances to walls with brackets and anchors.
For plasma or LCD TV installation, experts in home childproofing advise:
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated and Reported Fatalities, 2008 Report, 42,700 estimated emergency department treated injuries in 2006 were related to appliance, furniture and television tipovers.
CPSC offers the following safety tips to prevent furniture or TV tip-overs:
Don’t allow your child to become the next statistic. We urge our readers to include television safety in childproofing their homes against preventable accidents.