STURDY act signed into law aimed to prevent fatal furniture tip-overs for children

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Some legislation to strengthens furniture safety standards has been signed into law on Wednesday.

The STURDY Act aims to prevent fatal furniture tip-overs for children.

Each year, nearly 10,000 children go to the emergency room as a result of furniture tip-over injuries.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the co-authors on the bipartisan legislation.

The law makes it so that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has to set mandatory rules for manufacturers to prevent furniture tip-overs. It requires companies to test their products for safety and stability before being sold.

Senator Klobuchar held a press conference with furniture tip-over prevention advocate Janet McGee to highlight resources to protect children from tip-over injuries. McGee lost her 22-month-old son Ted in 2016 after a dresser tipped over while he was taking a nap.

“From there, during this next year, the industry will also be working on this to come up with some standards they will present to the consumer product safety commission which will either come up with their own role or adopt parts of their roles. This is a normal way we get this done,” Senator Klobuchar said.

The bill has been endorsed by consumer groups, Parents Against Tip-overs, and manufacturers and retailers like IKEA, Room & Board, Crate & Barrel, and Williams-Sonoma.

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