Keep kids safe from falling furniture

(WPRI) -- Accidents involving furniture tipping over may not seem commonplace, but in reality they happen much more often than you'd think.

Courtenay Petracca, the mother of a 14-month-old girl in Johnston, is learning valuable life-saving information - a toddler's curiosity plus unsecured furniture can equal tragedy.

"There's so many things I need to do to prevent incidents like that," she said.

• Learn More: Prevent Furniture Tip-Overs in Your Home

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 245 deaths related to furniture tip-overs between 2000 and 2010. 90 percent of those involved children under the age of 6.

On Monday, an 18-month-old boy in Woonsocket was killed after a bookshelf fell on top of him.

Also, between 2008 and 2010 alone there were more than 43,000 reported injuries associated with furniture falling over.

"These are common occurrences, and most of the time they're minor injuries," said Dr. Selim Suner of Hasbro Children's Hospital. "But if it's a small child and a heavy load, it can cause serious injury and often times death."

Industry standards require that television stands and bureaus pass stability tests, but that doesn't mean the furniture is toddler-proof.

To prevent tip-over hazards, you need to secure the furniture to the wall. There are inexpensive brackets available that you simply attach to the furniture and secure it in place.

You can also purchase straps that secure furniture to the wall, most can be found online for under $15.

To prevent accidents, you can also:

• Place TVs on low, sturdy bases
• Anchor furniture and TVs to the wall
• Keep remote controls off of furniture
• Install anti-tip brackets to appliances