Consumer Reports calls it a "hidden hazard" that affects thousands of American families every year.
Someone in the U.S. is injured every 17 minutes by a furniture, television, or appliance tip-over, according to a Consumer Reports in a new study released Thursday.
And the epidemic is getting worse.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were about 2,800 tip-over injuries involving dressers and other clothing storage units for kids younger than 6 years old in 2016, the most recent year where reliable data is available.
That's up about 33% from the year before, when there were 2,100 such injuries.
Part of the problem is it is "extremely difficult" for parents to figure out which dressers are safer than others, says Consumer Reports' chief scientific officer James Dickerson.
"Consumer Reports conducted tip-over testing on 24 different dressers, subjecting each to progressively tougher tests, some more stringent than the current voluntary standard," the independent, nonprofit member organization announced in a new report issued on Thursday, March 22, 2018.
Consumer Reports says their analysis leaves them to belief that the industry standards for safety are "inadequate" because it still leaves too many children at risk.
Government data shows from 2014 to 2016, more than 15,000 children under 18 were injured in tip-overs.
From 2000-2016 more than 150 children died from tip-overs of dressers or bureaus with a TV on top.
You can read the full report, including a review of how the tests were conducted and how to make your current dresser safer by clicking HERE.
A home baby monitor video infamously captured a notable case of a dresser falling on a child. In that case, the injured boys twin brother pushed the dresser off of him, possibly saving his life.
Many of the deaths involving dressers are caused by the dressers preventing the victim to breathe, says CR.
