TV stand prone to toppling recalled by CPSC

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Sauder Woodworking Co. have issued a voluntary recall of 414,000 TV stands given to collapsing if fasteners were not tightened properly during assembly. As of the recall date, the Archbold, Ohio-based manufacturer had received 43 reports of the stands collapsing.

A 6-year-old girl injured her shoulder when a stand collapsed and the TV on top of it fell on her. In separate incidents, three adults trying to prevent a television from falling off the stand received injuries that required medical treatment, including a broken arm, a torn rotator cuff with a concussion, and an injured finger.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, has long warned about the dangers of television tip-overs and says that the growing size of televisions makes these warnings even more urgent. In most cases, the tip-over occurs because the television set was placed on top of unstable furniture, or the furniture was not intended to hold a TV. Children who climb on furniture to reach the TV can cause it to tip over. If the stand is faulty, the risk is even greater.

The recalled Sauder stand ($90) has a maple finish and wrought-iron legs. It was sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide and on Walmart.com from January 2005 through May 2007. The model number of the recalled stand is 400205; the UPC number—42666 01958—is printed on the product’s carton and instructions.

If you have one of the recalled stands, stop using it immediately if it moves from side-to-side. This recall does not involve return of the product. Instead, the manufacturer will provide owners with detailed instructions on checking the tightness of the fasteners. For more information on how to properly assemble the stand. go to Sauder's Web site or call 866-218-8312 (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Saturday).

 See also:
Babies, children, and TV tip-over accidents
Fatal TV tip-overs: The CPSC reports a troubling increase in tip-over-related deaths
Video: Safety alert -- furniture fails to meet tip-over standards
Stay safe on Super Sunday

 

Comments

[James]

I have to agree with Jason. I'm in the market for a wall mount for a plasma tv at the moment. I have a 2 and a 4 year old. Their safety is my primary concern. Given the popularity of LCD and plasma tvs, wall mounts if not tested, are an accident waiting to happen. I'm surprised that given the number of times CS has reviewed these types of tvs, that they have never tested wall mounts and (or) stands. I consider the safety and the quality of products to be equal in the grand scheme of things.

[Jason]

I keep seeing this kind of thing happen all the time. Yet there are so many tv stand manufacturers that advertise tip-stability testing. As a store owner of tv stands, situations such as this make me nervous. Not only am i concerned about the stability of tv stands but what about wall mounts ? If not anchored correctly they could cause serious harm if a wall mounted tv fell of its anchor.