I pulled together a short poll nearly a year ago now about anchoring furniture and it was interesting from the comments, how there appears to be a general lack of awareness concerning this particular topic area.
Efforts have been made by the like of the HSE, ROSPA and businesses like IKEA to raise awareness concerning the dangers to be found in failing to anchor furniture appropriately but I would argue this has had little impact up to this point in time.
With OPSS now building its bricks and mortar as the UK’s product safety regulator, I have high hopes that a positive sea of change is on the horizon.
If we take fireplace surrounds as a starter for 10, yes that’s right fireplace surrounds that haven’t been mechanically fixed in place by a professional but rather pieced together by Dad on a weekend who didn’t even manage to pass his GCSE in Design & Technology 20 years ago. 🧰
The surrounds I’m talking about here are those heavy-duty stone affairs with a design that includes mantels with large overhangs having the potential to become unstable and subject (if not fitted properly) to topple as a result. Put simply fixing with a couple of raw plugs won’t pass muster..
If we take this unstable fireplace surround and mix it together with a toddler learning to walk who might very well use anything within its reach to hoist itself up, you suddenly have a very dangerous proposition on your hands….
And the reality is that last year alone there were at least 3 separate incidents of children being crushed by a fireplace surround with 1 resulting in a death and the other 2 being left with traumatic brain injuries. 🤕
I’m sure there are many more unreported instances of similar and this for me is where OPSS needs to really step up to the mark now and routinely collect data whether it be from emergency services or hospitals directly to really start mapping out the problems and offering up solutions. 🏥
To get the conversation started right now on this I recommend 3 ways forward from here:
Government needs to launch a public campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers
Government needs to put pressure on manufacturers to provide clear warnings to consumers who purchase fireplace surrounds and other furniture and make clear these products should be fitted by professionals
Manufacturers need to step up to the plate and provide very clear instructions and warnings to consumers on how to anchor furniture of all shapes and sizes recommending this also be done by a professional only.
And then there is DSL consulting – we have had the pleasure of working with a global supplier of furniture on this very topic offering regulatory guidance and support so if this is something you wish to explore further drop me a line.
