January 28, 2015

Safe Kids Says Take Precautions to Prevent TV Tip-overs

Sacramento, CA :  The days around Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest TV viewing day of the year, are a great time to make parents aware of the danger of TV tip- overs and how to secure their TVs to avoid tip-overs and serious injuries.  Watch the video to see how easily these preventable accidents can happen.

Safe Kids California, headquartered at the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Sacramento, is promoting National TV Safety Day, appropriately scheduled for the day before the Super Bowl on Saturday, to help keep kids safe from TV tip-overs.

Every 45 minutes in the U.S., a child is injured because of a TV tipping over, and every three weeks a child dies from a TV tip-over event. These accidents are often the result of TVs not being properly secured or being placed in unsafe locations. Children five and under are at greatest risk for injuries, accounting for 72 percent of the injuries and 88 percent of hospitalizations. Alarmingly, the frequency of injuries is increasing. There was a 31 percent increase in the number of injuries in children age 19 and under from 2002-2011. (Data from the CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.)

“A horrible accident from a TV tip-over is completely preventable,” say Katie Smith, director of Safe Kids, California. “Now is the time to take the necessary precautions to secure all TVs in your home.”

Safe Kids California is encouraging all parents  to do a check of their home and make sure every TV is safely secured and placed properly. Here are some tips:

Secure the TV. If it is a heavier, box-style TV, make sure it is either secured to a wall or placed on a low, stable piece of furniture that is appropriate for the TV’s size and weight.

Recycle old box TVs. To find a location near your home that safely and responsibly recycles unwanted TVs, go to www.allgreenrecycling.com/sacramento/

Secure your flat-screen TV.  Flat-screen TVs should be properly secured with a mount that has a safety certification by an independent laboratory (such as UL, CSA, ETL).