FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2009
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AHFA Proposes Second Revision to Tip-Over Standard
Warning Label May Be Modified to Address 'Media Chest' Design

High Point, N.C. – ASTM International is reviewing and could potentially modify the language in its recently revised furniture tip-over standard.

The change was proposed by the American Home Furnishings Alliance to address "media chests" – a specific product design that was not considered when the tip-over standard was revised in May.

"Media chests" are clothing storage units, usually with drawers, that are designed to hold a television. The piece has become a popular addition to both youth and adult bedroom collections as sales of flat screen televisions for the bedroom have soared.

The voluntary furniture tip-over safety standard was developed by ASTM International to help prevent accidents that result when a small child uses the doors, drawers or shelves on a piece of furniture to climb – often in an attempt to reach the controls on a television. The standard applies to dressers, chests, armoires or other clothing storage units taller than 30 inches, since these are the pieces most often involved in tip-over accidents.

A committee of furniture industry representatives worked with ASTM to update the standard. It now requires manufacturers to enclose certified tip restraints with any product covered by the standard. It also requires that a permanent warning label be affixed to all covered products. The warning label reads:

• Place heaviest items in the lowest drawers.
• Do not set TVs or other heavy objects on the top of the product.
• Never allow children to climb or hang on drawers, doors or shelves.
• Never open more than one drawer at a time.
• Do not defeat or remove the drawer interlock system.

"Soon after the revised tip-over standard was published, several bedroom furniture manufacturers contacted us with concerns related to that second bullet point," explains Bill Perdue, AHFA vice president. Perdue served on the committee that updated the standard this year. "Since a 'media chest' is designed to accommodate a television, this warning label would confuse consumers. Based on input from our member companies, we proposed a revision to the new warning label."

The ASTM tip-over committee now proposes modifying the language in the second bullet point to read: "Unless designed to accommodate, do not set TV or other heavy object on the top of this product." The revised language must be approved by the ASTM membership through a balloting process, which is expected to be completed in early August.

Along with all other products covered by the tip-over standard, media chests must be shipped with tip restraints, carry the warning label and meet the two performance requirements spelled out in the standard: the piece must not tip when all drawers are open two-thirds of the way, and it must not tip when one drawer is open, and a 50-pound weight is placed in that open drawer.

ASTM is the largest standards development organization in the United States and its rulings play a critical role in reducing injuries and fatalities based on identified hazards in the use and performance of many consumer and household products.