HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
Thousands of curious kids exploring their houses have been injured, and hundreds have been killed from toppling televisions and fallen furniture.
The problem seems to be on the rise. Although a succession of stability standards for furniture makers have been in place for the last decade, they don't seem to be helping.
That's why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now looking to toughen the standards to put it to a stop.
"It's amazing how if you leave a child and you don't have everything secured, it can happen so quickly," said Dr. Tim Howard.
There is a good reason why these household pieces are called the "silent killers."
"The child becomes the cushion, and so you don't hear the furniture hit the ground because it has fallen on top of the child," explained Howard. "Now the child is trapped under there. If the child is knocked out, the child is not able to say anything."
More than 22,000 children are rushed to the hospital each year, suffering serious injuries like broken bones, internal bleeding and head trauma. Unfortunately, some of them don't make it.
Fallen furniture has killed nearly 300 kids in the last decade, with tipping televisions mostly to blame.
"They want to play with the TV. They want to turn it on," said Karen Ivey with Huntsville Hospital's Safe Kids organization
The current standard says furniture should remain steady when all drawers are open and a 50 pound weight is placed inside.
But this guideline is only voluntary for manufacturers.
"Until they make it mandatory, the fear is the manufacturers won't comply with those," said Ivey.
Making it mandatory was struck down by Congress in 2005, and the new rules being considered still don't include items without drawers.
"It's going to take an effort by more than just one organization or one group," said Ivey. "We can't blame our caregivers fully for accidents that happen because perhaps they didn't know the furniture was not built under certain standards."
There are several products you can use to secure your furniture to wall studs, like brackets and straps. You can also use drawer stops to keep kids from opening them.
For TV's that can't be mounted on the wall, push them back on their stands as far as possible. Also, move heavy or attractive items to lower places where kids won't have to climb to reach them.
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