As the holiday season comes to a close, a lot of you are probably spending time watching the NFL playoffs on those TV’s you snagged on Black Friday. But do you ever think about those TV’s injuring the children in your home?
Safe Kids Worldwide reports that 3 in 4 adults do not properly secure TV’s and other heavy furniture. The failure to do this often results in a tip-over, causing 17 deaths and 13,000 injuries in children every year. Look over the following facts and tips to keep your family safe as you cheer on your favorite team.
Facts:
- Every 45 minutes, a child is sent to the Emergency Room for injuries related to a TV tip-over
- 70% of children harmed by TV tip-overs are between 0 and 5 years old
- Boys ages 5 and under are more likely than girls of the same age to be injured from a tip-over
- There has been a 31% increase in TV tip-over-related injuries over the last ten years
Tip-Over Prevention Tips:
- Make sure that the TV is in a stable position
- Secure all TV’s and heavy furniture
- Follow manufacturer instructions to mount flat screen TV’s to the wall instead of placing it on a stand
- Place large, old-style TV’s on a stable piece of furniture that is close to the ground
- Use brackets or wall-straps to secure unstable furniture to a wall
- Install dresser drawer stops to prevent them from being pulled out
- Keep heaviest items on the lowest shelves or in the lowest drawers
For more information on this topic, visit Safe Kids Worldwide http://www.safekids.org/tvtipoverreport
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