CEO Jenny Branch-Allen says Lauren Phillips’ story always sticks with her.
Popular Australian television presenter, Lauren Phillips, found herself underneath a 3-metre-tall bookshelf when she was just 4 years old. She was visiting some friends with her family and distinctly remembers:
“Right at the top of the bookshelf there was a cabbage patch kid I was desperate to get my hands on. So, I climbed up the bookshelf – but it wasn’t attached to the wall. As I climbed, the whole thing fell, like in slow motion. I ended up underneath it.”
“It had totally smashed my face in, I’d bitten through my tongue, split my face. The way the shelves fell, one went above my head and one on my shoulder. The doctor said that if it had been just a few centimetres either way, it could have got me right across the neck and broken my neck.”
Lauren hopes that sharing her story will help spread awareness about the dangers of furniture tip-overs and how they can be prevented, advising that the bookshelf:
“Should have been attached to the wall – it was an accident waiting to happen.”
Safety tips:
Once your baby starts to crawl and walk, they are likely to start climbing and pulling on objects, including household furniture. As babies lack awareness of surrounding hazards, this puts them at increased risk of injury from TV and furniture tip-overs.
As your baby becomes more mobile, it’s important to look at the furniture around your home and put measures in place to prevent it from falling or being pulled down.
- Secure any unstable furniture to the wall or floor, and secure TVs to the cabinet or wall, using furniture brackets and/or anchors.
- Do not put heavy items on the top shelves of bookcases.
- Do not place unstable furniture near your baby’s play area.
- Do not leave any items such as bottles, toys or remote controls on top of furniture that may tempt young children to climb up to reach them.
- Use locking devices on drawers to prevent toddlers from opening them and using them as steps.
- Purchase low set furniture, or furniture with a study, stable and broad base.
- Look for furniture that comes with safety information or equipment for anchoring.
