Legislation protecting children from furniture tip-over injuries signed into law

(ABC 6 News) – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that her bipartisan legislation to protect children from furniture tip-over injuries was signed into law.

The STURDY Act, which Klobuchar originally introduced alongside Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and was co-sponsored by former Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), strengthens furniture safety standards to prevent children from being injured by fatal furniture tip-overs. Each year, nearly 10,000 children go to the emergency room (ER) as a result of furniture tip-over injuries.

Klobuchar was joined in Washington by furniture tip-over prevention advocate Janet McGee. McGee, of Eagan, Minnesota, lost her 22-month-old son, Ted, in 2016 after a dresser tipped over while he was taking a nap.

“No family should live in fear that their child could be severely injured or even killed by preventable accidents,” said Klobuchar. “By strengthening our furniture safety standards, the STURDY Act will help protect more children from the risks of furniture tip-overs and I’m glad to see it signed into law.”

“As a life-long Minnesota resident who has been deeply affected by a tip-over, I am grateful for Senator Klobuchar’s support in getting the STURDY Act across the finish line,” said McGee. “We will soon have a stronger and mandatory safety standard for clothing storage units that will require units be designed more stable and will greatly reduce the risk of tip-overs to children. I miss Ted every day. But through his death, Ted is protecting his peers for generations to come.”

Klobuchar’s legislation would direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to set mandatory rules for manufacturers to prevent furniture tip-overs, including requiring companies to test their products for safety and stability before being sold. 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.

Klobuchar first introduced the STURDY Act in 2016 and has led efforts to address furniture tip-over injuries since. In 2016, she and Casey successfully pushed the CPSC and IKEA to announce the largest furniture recall in history, stopping sales of Malm dressers until safety improvements were implemented.

In April, Klobuchar held a press conference with representatives from the Children’s Minnesota Hospital, Minneapolis, and furniture tip-over prevention advocate Janet McGee to highlight resources to protect children from tip-over injuries.