While dressers and chests in IKEA’s Malm family have drawn attention this week for being recalled after the deaths of three children were linked to them, those aren’t the only deaths that dressers from IKEA alone have caused: other models of dresser are linked to an additional three deaths of children age three or under, and the first one was in 1989.
A wide variety of pieces of furniture tip over and injure both adults and children: the stunning statistic publicized this week comes from a Consumer Product Safety Commission study of “product instability or tip-over injuries” that looked at reported injuries from 2000 to 2013. [PDF]
An average of 38,000 people in the United States end up in emergency rooms as a result of these injuries every year, and an average of 430 people die every year. 84% of the people killed by falling or tipping furniture, appliances, or televisions are children under age 10.
All dressers and chests from IKEA that don’t pass an industry standard (but voluntary) test have been recalled, and that includes other models that may also be in your home. Check the full recall list from IKEA, which includes dressers and chests from dozens of product lines. [PDF]
Here, from the CPSC recall notice, are the three other incidents where small children were killed by other varieties of IKEA dressers:
- In July 1989, a 20-month-old girl from Mt. Vernon, Va. died after an unanchored GUTE 4-drawer chest tipped over and pinned her against the footboard of a youth bed.
- In March 2002, a 2½-year-old boy from Cranford, N.J. died after an unanchored RAKKE 5-drawer chest tipped over and fatally pinned him to the floor.
- In October 2007, a 3-year-old girl from Chula Vista, Calif. died after a KURS 3-drawer chest tipped over and fatally pinned her to the floor. It is unknown as to whether the dresser was anchored or not.
If your furniture has securely been anchored against the wall, you don’t have to do anything. If you are unable to anchor the item to the wall or uncomfortable doing so, or if you want to get rid of the piece of furniture altogether, contact IKEA at (866) 856-4532 for assistance.
Following an Additional Child Fatality, IKEA Recalls 29 Million MALM and Other Models of Chests and Dressers Due to Serious Tip-Over Hazard; Consumers Urged to Anchor Chests and Dressers or Return for Refund [CPSC]
FAQs on the IKEA Chest and Dresser Recall [CPSC]
IKEA Chests/Dressers (non-Malm) [IKEA]
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist