Preventing falling TV injuries

Your TV is a lethal weapon when it comes to your children.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that there are between eight and ten thousand injuries every year from falling televisions and of these six will result in death. This is a serious danger that needs to be addressed in every home.

Today's families gather together around the television. In many homes, this is where everyone interacts, eat their meals and spend time relaxing as a family. It is hard to imagine that these televisions which we have come to rely on pose a hazard to small children and infants. Televisions are heavy and if they fall off the stand they are on they can cause serious injury and even death. There have been more and more cases of this reported in the news recently. It should be making everyone aware of the potential danger.

With the philosophy that bigger is better, our TVs have gotten almost obscenely large. In years past they were much smaller and often built into a cabinet which made them not at all dangerous. The same is no longer true. Some of the new large TV's are front heavy which makes them more likely to fall over. The big screen TV, however, is not the culprit, most injuries involve screens between 20 and 30 inches. This is the size that is usually perched on a dresser or stand.

The most common injuries reported were head injuries, concussions, and fractures. The second most common injuries were broken bones in the arms and legs. Little limbs are no match for these heavy televisions often with other electronic equipment perched on top of them.

What can you do to safeguard your child from the danger of a falling TV? The most obvious would be to remove all TV's from your homes but few people are willing to go to that extreme.

Here are some options that aren't quite as drastic.

• Replace all older TVs with new flat screen models.
• Place a bracket on the wall to hold the cabinet in place.
• Use low furniture and place the TV as far back as possible.
• Test the furniture to make sure it is strong enough to hold not only the TV but a curious child. It should not tip over easily or at all.
• Use an appliance strap to secure the TV.
• Don't use the TV stand to store anything except the TV.
• Discourage your children from climbing on the furniture. Make sure that the VCR or DVD player is below the TV not above where the child might climb up to put in a movie.
• Know where your children are at all times and never leave them unsupervised.

What other options are there to make the TV less of a hazard for small children? One option is the wall or ceiling mounting bracket. The TV,as well as the DVD player, is suspended from the ceiling on a frame. There is also a high wall version of this mounting. This makes the TV totally child proof. If this is not an option then you will need to consider which of the other options works best and safest for you.

Our children are our greatest asset and we need to do everything possible to make our homes as safe as possible. Being able to prevent falling television injuries is a top priority. For additional reading, read this article by the Consumer Protection Safety Commission.