Furniture

The ACCC is seeking feedback about ways to reduce the dangers posed by toppling furniture, which has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes close to 20 injuries every week.

The ACCC is seeking submissions from stakeholders, including consumers, consumer safety advocates, the furniture and television industries, and medical professionals about the safety hazards posed by toppling furniture, such as bookshelves, drawers and televisions.

Chairman Rod Sims today announced the ACCC’s product safety priorities for 2018 at the National Consumer Congress in Sydney, and reaffirmed support for a general safety provision to be introduced in Australia law to reduce the risk of unsafe goods entering the market.

The ACCC is co-leading an international safety campaign urging parents and carers to anchor unstable furniture and large TVs to the wall to prevent infant deaths and serious injuries.

Consumers are being warned to check if they have the recalled Tolix replica chairs and stools, following continued reports of injuries due to an entrapment point and sharp edges at the base of the legs of the chairs.

Today, NSW Fair Trading and other consumer affairs agencies across the country are launching a campaign to ensure parents and carers know how to protect their children and prevent a serious accident from toppling furniture and TVs.