Dresser tip-overs continue to place children at risk; CR urges Congress to pass the STURDY Act now
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Consumer Reports today commended the Consumer Product Safety Commission for announcing a recall of about 820,000 three-drawer Ikea Kullen chests, citing that they could too easily tip over onto children, resulting in serious injury or death. Ikea reported six tip-over incidents involving the dresser. Today’s recall is the third recall of unstable dressers in the past week.
“Today’s recall is an important step to help remove unstable dressers from homes and keep children out of harm’s way,” said Oriene Shin, policy counsel for home and product safety at Consumer Reports. “We commend the CPSC for holding manufacturers accountable and for the recent push for more recalls of hazardous products. Anyone who has one of these dressers should immediately put it where children can’t access it and contact Ikea for a free pickup and full refund.”
CR has long advocated for a stronger mandatory standard for dressers and other clothing storage units to help prevent future tip-over injuries and deaths. CR strongly supports the STURDY Act, legislation with bipartisan support that will require mandatory safety standards for dressers aimed at reducing the risk of tip-overs. The STURDY Act passed the House in September 2019, and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. CR’s 2018 stability testing shows that it is feasible for dressers at all price points to pass the more rigorous testing required under the bill.
“Congress needs to pass the STURDY Act so that the CPSC can act quickly to set strong rules to protect children from tip-over incidents. We need safety standards that will not take ten years to finalize and put more children at risk of injury or death in the meantime,” Shin added.
CR encourages consumers to secure dressers to walls to help prevent tip-overs—but recognizes that it is not always an option for rental tenants or those who are not handy with tools. CR says that the furniture industry has a responsibility to build safer, more stable dressers, and that safety should not rely on a person’s skill at anchoring a dresser to a wall.
Contact: David Butler, dbutler@consumer.org
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For more than 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.