A new report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that there was an estimated annual average of 19,400 emergency department (ED)-treated injuries from 2019–2021, and the 592 reported fatalities4 associated with tip-over incidents occurring between 2000 and 2021.

According to the report:
--Estimated annual average number of ED-treated injuries:

• children under age 18 years suffered 8,900 (46%) injuries, while they represent 22 percent of the population;
• adults ages 18 to 59 years suffered 6,900 (35%) injuries, while they represent 55 percent of the population; 
• seniors ages 60 years and older suffered 3,600 (19%) injuries, while they represent 23 percent of the population.

--Reported fatalities:

• 482 (81%) involved children under age 18 years;
• 20 (3%) involved adults ages 18 to 59 years; and
• 90 (15%) involved seniors ages 60 years and older.

Tip-over product(s)

--Estimated annual average number of ED-treated injuries:

• 15,600 (80%) involved furniture (furniture-only, TV and furniture, or appliance and furniture);
• 3,100 (16%) involved only a television; and
• 700 (4%) involved only an appliance. 

The estimated annual average number of ED-treated injuries involving children (under age 18 years) and furniture was 7,200. Among them: 

• 2,900 (40%) involved a table; o 2,000 (28%) involved a chest, bureau, or dresser;
• 1,100 (15%) involved shelving, a shelving unit, or a bookcase; and
• 1,200 (17%) involved all other furniture (including cabinets and stands). 

Reported fatalities: 

• 193 (33%) involved only furniture; o 183 (31%) involved only a television;
• 174 (29%) involved furniture and a television both tipping over; and
• 42 (7%) involved only an appliance.7 The largest appliance category was stove/oven (28 fatalities).

The report contains information on injuries and fatalities associated with television,
furniture, and appliance product instability, or tip-over incidents. Tip-over incidents include
scenarios where heavy furniture falls on an individual from some type of interaction, such as
climbing or exerting a force on the product while it is in one of its positions of normal use.

Product instability that can lead to a tip-over incident can be caused or affected by an unstable
design (small footprint, top heavy), use on a sloped or unstable surface (carpet), non-use of a
tip-over restraint device or use of a defective tip-over restraint device, heavy objects on top of
furniture, or multiple drawers open. A television or an appliance that falls in combination with
the furniture (that the television or appliance is resting in or on) is counted only in the furniture
category in tabulations by product types presented in this report.

This report presents a national estimate of emergency department-treated instability or
tip-over injuries, followed by the counts of reported fatalities. The injury estimates are for years
2019 through 2021,1 and fatal incidents are reported to have occurred from 2000 through 2021.2
Appendix A presents the methodology for data extraction and selection criteria. Appendix B
describes conventions applied for determining the products and scenarios that are included in
the various product categories in this report.

The statistics presented in this report are not comparable to those in the Commission’s 2022 Proposed Rule: Safety Standard for Clothing Storage Units (87 FR 6246), or to the 2022 staff briefing package recommending a draft final
rule for clothing storage units, due to differences in scope, methodology, and purpose. The statistics presented in this report are not comparable to statistics released previously, due to refinement of the conventions for determining in-scope National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) injuries and reported deaths in the Consumer Product Safety Risk Management System (CPSRMS).

For a copy of the CPSC report, click here.