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TV stand prone to toppling recalled by CPSC
Jul 26, 2007 5:00 PM

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Sauder Woodworking Co. have issued a voluntary072512 recall of 414,000 TV stands given to collapsing if fasteners were not tightened properly during assembly. As of the recall date, the Archbold, Ohio-based manufacturer had received 43 reports of the stands collapsing.

A 6-year-old girl injured her shoulder when a stand collapsed and the TV on top of it fell on her. In separate incidents, three adults trying to prevent a television from falling off the stand received injuries that required medical treatment, including a broken arm, a torn rotator cuff with a concussion, and an injured finger.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, has long warned about the dangers of television tip-overs and says that the growing size of televisions makes these warnings even more urgent. In most cases, the tip-over occurs because the television set was placed on top of unstable furniture, or the furniture was not intended to hold a TV. Children who climb on furniture to reach the TV can cause it to tip over. If the stand is faulty, the risk is even greater.

The recalled Sauder stand ($90) has a maple finish and wrought-iron legs. It was sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide and on Walmart.com from January 2005 through May 2007. The model number of the recalled stand is 400205; the UPC number—42666 01958—is printed on the product’s carton and instructions.

If you have one of the recalled stands, stop using it immediately if it moves from side-to-side. This recall does not involve return of the product. Instead, the manufacturer will provide owners with detailed instructions on checking the tightness of the fasteners. For more information on how to properly assemble the stand. go to Sauder's Web site or call 866-218-8312 (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Saturday).

 See also:
Babies, children, and TV tip-over accidents
Fatal TV tip-overs: The CPSC reports a troubling increase in tip-over-related deaths
Video: Safety alert -- furniture fails to meet tip-over standards

Stay safe on Super Sunday

 

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