As organizations dedicated to children’s health and safety, we write to express our strong support for S.1902, the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act.
The STURDY Act would direct the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to create a mandatory clothing storage unit standard to help prevent furniture tip-overs. According to the CPSC, a child is sent to the emergency department every 56 minutes following a furniture tip-over incident. Stronger product testing and safety requirements could prevent fatalities and serious injuries.
This bipartisan bill is critically important because it would establish a strong mandatory standard for furniture stability. The STURDY Act would require the CPSC to create a mandatory rule that would: cover all clothing storage units, including those 30 inches in height or shorter; require testing to simulate the weights of children up to 72 months old; require testing measures to account for scenarios involving carpeting, loaded drawers, multiple open drawers, and the dynamic force of a climbing child; mandate strong warning requirements; and require the CPSC to issue a mandatory safety standard within one year of enactment. We need a strong mandatory standard to protect children from furniture tip-overs, and the STURDY Act includes those critically needed provisions.
We urge you to support the STURDY Act by becoming a co-sponsor and voting in favor of the bill as it moves through the Senate.
For the full letter, click here.