This December, it will be 20 years since my daughter Meghan died from a dresser tip-over.  TWENTY YEARS. I quite literally started advocating for anchoring furniture and tip-over prevention the day she died. 18 years after the day I buried her, and just 3 days before Christmas in 2022, President Biden signed the STURDY Act into law and one of the promises I made to her the day she died had finally been honored. 

Twenty years of advocacy and research has made me a subject matter expert on all things furniture tip-over. I truly believe that there is likely no one on the planet that has the depth and breadth of knowledge on the history and evolution of furniture tip-overs than I do. I've done it all as a labor of love and it's easily added up to another full time job for many, many years.

My goal was simple, to prevent any other family from knowing our pain.  To be honest, I thought it would be a hell of a lot easier than it was, but I quickly learned that the very people with the power to fix the problem, before and after my Meggie died, failed to do so for far too long. So I was determined to hold them accountable.  The game changed when Parents Against Tip-Overs formed in 2018.  We were determined to call out the failure of all stakeholders to do their job for decades, hold their feet to the fire, and not only insist on fixing the problem, but we were going to part of the solution. 

I'm often asked about the timeline when I talk about how long it took to get a law passed and mandatory Federal safety and stability standard for dressers and other clothing storage furniture passed.  So here it is. Complete with links where I felt they'd be helpful. Of course, there is a LOT more behind each of these bullet points, much of which I've written about previously, but if you have questions or want more information, feel free to message me. 

Tip-Over Historical Timeline
A brief history of the relationship between the ASTM furniture safety subcommittee’s updates to the voluntary Clothing Storage Unit (CSU) standard, CPSC action, and Federal legislation and how things changed when Parents Against Tip-Overs formed in 2018.

• 1990’s - CPSC identified furniture and TV tip-overs posed a danger of injury and death to children - safety alerts issued
• 1998- The ASTM furniture safety subcommittee was formed to create a voluntary safety standard for clothing storage furniture and a provisional specification was issued
• 2000 - the first ASTM F2057 specification was first issued, citing statistics from 1994
• 2004- ASTM F2057 revised only to say test weights had to be wrapped in polyethylene
• December 18, 2004 - My 3 yr old twin daughter Meghan died from a dresser tip-over
• April 2005- The Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act, H.R. 1861, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives with 45 bipartisan cosponsors.  It never got out of committee.
• Dec 2007- The Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act H.R. 4266 was re-introduced in the next session of Congress to the U.S. House of Representatives with 11 bipartisan cosponsors.  It never got out of committee.
• 2008- the CPSC begins publishing annual tip-over reports 
• 2009- ASTM F2057 was revised for the second time 
  • Tip-over restraints were to be included and withstand a 50 lb pull force with installation instructions
  • Warning label (2 more revisions in 2009 had to do with warning label only)
• 2014 - ASTM F2057 revised primarily to reference the new standard for tip restraints also created in 2014 (F3096), and to clarify language regarding testing procedures
• 2014- ASTM F3096 specification for tip-over restraints used with CSUs was established and referred to in ASTM F2057
• 2015- CPSC launches Anchor It! Campaign.  Kim, Lisa, and Keisha from PAT were in PSA called “Real Moms Urge You to Anchor It!”  Kim from PAT has continued to work closely with the campaign and meets quarterly with the campaign as a collaborator and advisor
• June 2016- The STURDY ACT H.R. 5442 was first introduced to the U.S. House by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, with no cosponsors.  It never got out of committee (that session of Congress ended in December of 2016)
• June 2016- The STURDY Act S. 3046 was introduced to the U.S. Senate by Senator Bob Casey with 2 cosponsors, but never got out of committee
• 2017- ASTM F 2057 revised to clarify language around warning label
• November 30, 2017- CPSC issues an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for CSUs
• November 2018: Parents Against Tip-Overs (PAT) formed and visited every CPSC Commissioner, became voting members of the ASTM F2057 committee, and started attending those ASTM meetings in person.  We were also filmed for the Netflix series Broken: Deadly Dressers. 
  • This is when the tide toward a strong, effective, mandatory standard started to shift! 
  • Our involvement with the CPSC and ASTM and our relentless efforts to advance the ASTM voluntary standard, pressure the CPSC to pursue rulemaking (create a mandatory testing standard), and actively lobbying Congress to pass STURDY, catalyzed everything that happened since.
• April 2019- The STURDY Act H.R. 2211 was introduced to the U.S. House by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky with 23 cosponsors and passed with a voice vote on Sept 18th and was referred to the Senate.
• June 2019- The STURDY Act S. 1902 was introduced to Senate by Senator Bob Casey with 15 bipartisan cosponsors but did not get out of committee
• 2019- ASTM F2057 was revised to drop the height of CSUs covered by the standard to 27 inches and above (it was previously 30 inches and above), defined nightstand, but did NOT pass a proposed 60lb test weight (it remained at 50 lb)
• Feb 24, 2021- The STURDY Act H.R. 1314 was introduced to the House by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (for the 3rd time in 3 sessions of Congress!) with 22 cosponsors
• Feb 25th, 2021 The STURDY Act S.441 was introduced to the U.S. Senate By Sen. Casey 
• June 23th, 2021- STURDY passed the House with a roll call vote and was referred to the Senate
• November 18, 2021 S.3232, the STURDY Act was referred to the Senate committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation
• November 2021- At the ASTM F15.42 committee meeting in NC, the industry came prepared to show us and the rest of the committee the new stability tests they had developed based on the CPSC’s NPR to address a 6yr old child’s weight, loaded and multiple open drawers, the effects of carpeting, and dynamic force and prepared demonstrations for us.  Tests we’d been asking them to develop for years. That meeting was where the first discussions about collaborating on STURDY began.
• February 3, 2022- CPSC issues NPR for CSU
• March 10, 2022- The turning point for STURDY!  After nearly a year of frequent meetings with all stakeholders and many members of the Senate, PAT, Consumer Reports, Consumer Federation of America, Kids in Danger, IKEA, AHFA, and representatives from multiple Senate Commerce Committee member offices met in person in the Senate Commerce Committee room to finalize the language of the STURDY Act.  It was agreed that this new text would be put forth to the Senate Commerce Committee “in the nature of a substitute” for the formerly introduced STURDY Act. For the next few months all stakeholders actively lobbied members of the Senate, particularly Republican members,  asking their support of STURDY both to report it out of committee favorably and in favor of it on the full Senate floor.
• May 11, 2022- Senate Commerce Committee ordered the STURDY Act to be reported in the nature of a substitute favorably to the Senate floor (edited language from the original version approved by PAT and other stakeholders)
• September 29, 2022- STURDY passes the Senate with unanimous consent!!!
• October 19, 2022- STURDY referred back to the U.S. House (due to changes in text) Unfortunately, due to scheduled recesses, and some small tweaks to the language made in the House, there was not enough time to send it back to the Senate, so it’s only vehicle for passage was via the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
• November 25, 2022- CPSC publishes the CPSC final rule for CSUs, with an effective date of May 24, 2023. 
• December 5, 2022, the AHFA filed lawsuit seeking to get that final rule thrown out in court and the effective date stayed.  You can read the AHFA’s statement here. They did not want this to be the mandatory standard, citing it was too hard to comply with and the tests were not repeatable with reliability among other reasons.
• December 23, 2022, the STURDY Act passes both House and Senate (as part of HR 2617 The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023)!!  (STURDY is on pg 1094-1097 of the PDF version)
• December 29, 2022, President Biden signs STURDY Act into law!! 
• February 6, 2023, ASTM F2057-23 (voluntary standard for CSUs) was updated and published and included significant testing updates that addressed real-world use and were detailed in STURDY and negotiated by PAT, the AHFA, IKEA, Consumer Reports, Kids in Danger, and CFA and the other members of the ASTM F15.42 Furniture Safety Committee.
• February 2023- The focus at the ASTM F2057 sub-committee meeting turns to updating the companion anti-tip device/furniture anchor standard, ASTM F3096, that is referenced in the now mandatory F2057-23
• April 19, 2023 - The CPSC approves ASTM F2057-23 as the new direct final rule (mandatory Federal testing and stability standard for CSUs/clothing storage furniture) under the direction of the STURDY Act in a 3 to 1 vote. You can watch the decisional hearing on YouTube here and read the individual CPSC Commissioner’s statements here. 
• May 4, 2023- CPSC publishes the Direct Final Rule: Safety Standard for Clothing Storage Units in the Federal Register with an effective date of September 1, 2023. 
• September 1st, 2023 - ASTM F2057-23/CPSC direct final rule becomes effective and enforceable as a mandatory Federal standard under the STURDY Act.  You can find all pertinent information here:https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Clothing-Storage-Units
  • IMPORTANT: This means all CSUs manufactured after September 1st, 2023 must comply with this standard.
  • Manufacturers/retailers are allowed to sell through inventory manufactured before September 1st, 2023.  We do not know how long that will take so it’s vitally important consumers ask when the dresser/other clothing storage furniture they are purchasing was manufactured to determine whether or not it’s compliant with the new safety standard.
  • This also means the CPSC has the regulatory authority to enforce this law and we know it is a priority of the agency to do so
• May 6, 2024-  ASTM F3096 updated only to include a 60 lb static test weight to match F2057
  • Several task groups are working on further updates they include:
  • Updating installation instructions
  • Material interactions which is working on determining aging/conditioning tests to simulate the impact of time and environmental conditions on the effectiveness/strength of the component materials of anti-tip devices/furniture anchors.  The goal is to establish minimum testing requirements the plastic, metal, and strapping components of a furniture anchor must pass BEFORE the static/dynamic tests are applied.  It should weed out most inferior or ineffective materials that are prone to failure. (Kim from PAT is the task group chair of this task group)
  • Static force testing of the entire furniture anchor/anti-tip device (updating the existing test)
  • Dynamic testing of the entire furniture anchor/anti-tip device (would be a new test)
  • Scope of the standard, what it will and will not cover
• January 11, 2024 - Millions of plastic zip tie anchors recalled by the CPSC and Alliance4Safety.  They were made by New Age Industries and voluntarily recalled in collaboration with 30+ manufacturers who included them with CSUs, due to reports of the plastic becoming brittle and breaking, potentially causing failure to prevent a tip-over. These were sold with CSUs by at least 31 manufacturers since 2019.
• February 8, 2024- The newest CPSC Tip-Over Report is released 

So what's happening now?

PAT remains very involved in the ASTM furniture safety committee and continues to pressure the CPSC to actively and aggressively enforce the new mandatory standard for CSUs.  We continue to work with the furniture industry, the CPSC, and other consumer advocacy groups to educate the public about the dangers of furniture tip-overs and the importance of anchoring all furniture to the wall.  We have literally moved mountains and accomplished so much, but our work is not done. 

If you'd like to help PAT reach out and let us know.  If you'd like to learn more about us or donate to support PAT, please visit our website at www.parentsagainsttipovers.org.  Thank you! 

On March 1st, it was 6 months since the new mandatory Federal safety and stability standard for dressers and other clothing storage furniture, ASTM F2057-23, as per the STURDY Act law (pg 1094-1097), went into effect. The effective date was September 1, 2023.  So what has happened in the past 6 months and how do we know the new law is working?

What has happened in the past 6 months?

The new mandatory standard requires that all clothing storage furniture (CSUs) manufactured after 9/1/23 comply with ASTM F2057-23. 

Parents Against Tip-Overs (PAT) made no secret of the fact, from the day the updated ASTM F2057-23 furniture safety specification for clothing storage furniture (CSUs) was published on February 6, 2023, (and still only voluntary at that time) that we expected, at a minimum, the AHFA member companies, who had worked with us on updating the standard since the AHFA members first showed us the new tests in November of 2021, immediately comply with ASTM F2057-23.  There was no reason they shouldn't have already been producing and selling compliant CSUs by February 2023, as they had already been following the previous ASTM standard and were well aware of the changes that were in the newly updated standard, since they were heavily involved in developing them.

Some manufacturers did the right thing, prepared to make whatever changes were necessary to comply, and were selling ASTM F2057-23 compliant CSUs in early 2023, but not everyone was.

On April 19, 2023, the CPSC voted to make ASTM F2057-23 the new mandatory standard under the STURDY Act, and we again made it clear that we expected immediate compliance from all manufacturers as it would soon no longer be voluntary. There was no need to wait until the effective date of September 1, 2023, to start producing and selling CSUs compliant with the new standard. We know some were already shipping compliant CSUs but we didn't get much in the way of transparency about if or when they expected to be selling only compliant CSUs, even when we asked manufacturers straight out. 

The reality is many manufacturers, especially those who were not a part of the AHFA or who manufacture furniture overseas for sale in the U.S., didn't follow ASTM F2057 when it was only a voluntary standard, and some had very little or no awareness of the voluntary standard, let alone that this law was coming, so they had a lot to learn and change in their design and manufacturing processes in a relatively small amount of time.  They have no one to blame but themselves because the responsible thing to do as a manufacturer of CSUs would have been to follow ASTM F2057 when it was voluntary (since 2000!), and stay up to date on the regulatory landscape for the countries in which they sell furniture! 

To their credit, many of the labs that test CSUs for compliance put together comprehensive training sessions for those customers who needed to learn about the new stability tests and how to conduct them, along with the labeling and anti-tip device requirements of the law. The CPSC also offered training and a resource page for manufacturers, retailers, and interested parties to learn about the new law and how to ensure their products were compliant.

What PAT has done
We have worked hard to educate consumers as best we can about this new law and that retailers were allowed to sell through the existing inventory of CSUs that were not compliant with the new law, which could take many months because we have no idea how many CSUs are in inventory.  We anticipate that "old" inventory should be depleted or getting pretty low for most manufacturers/retailers at this point. If they are not already shipping and only selling only compliant CSUs, they should be very soon.

We also made it clear we not only wanted manufacturers, retailers, and the CPSC to do a better job alerting the public about this new standard but that we wanted retailers educated about it so they could have appropriate conversations with customers who may come in asking about manufacture dates and whether or not the furniture they were considering purchasing was compliant with the new law. We did this by having multiple meetings with key stakeholders including the AHFA, IKEA, RILA, the CPSC, and the HFA, as well as through social media posts, guest articles/letters to the editor, media interviews, and press releases. 

We are continuing to educate anyone and everyone as there are several myths and misconceptions out there about this new law.  Here's what is most important to know about the new law:

1. This new law ONLY applies to dressers and other clothing storage furniture (like armoires and wardrobes), 27 inches and taller, sold in the U.S., that fall within the scope of ASTM F2057-23. 
2. It is also only designed to protect children up to the age of 72 months, and we know adults, and especially a growing number of elders are injured and killed by CSU tip-overs every year.
3. This new law does NOT apply to any other kinds of furniture, including dressers and nightstands under 27 inches in height. Nor does it apply to any other furniture with drawers, doors, and shelves (extendible elements) that are outside the scope of ASTM F-2057.
4. It's likely that some manufacturers and retailers are still selling old inventory that does NOT comply with the new law.  The only way you can tell is to look at or ask for proof of the date of manufacture, which will be after 9/1/23 to be compliant with the new law.
5. It remains vitally important that you secure ALL furniture, especially furniture with drawers, doors, and shelves properly to the wall.  Period.  While this new law will certainly significantly reduce the risk of tip-over injuries and deaths from CSUs covered by the standard, ALL furniture still has the potential to tip, and children older than 72 months, adults, and elders are not protected by this new law.

What Manufacturers have done to comply
Manufacturers have been forced to innovate and come up with new designs so their CSUs can pass the new stringent stability tests.  Some added interlocks to drawers, allowing only one drawer or every other drawer to be opened at a time, but not all drawers. Some added weight to the back of the CSU to make it heavier in the back and therefore more stable.  Some redesigned existing CSUs or changed materials.  Others came up with some great innovations. 

One manufacturer we'd like to call out and applaud for their innovative and collaborative approach to safety and stability is IKEA. They announced an innovative design called Anchor and Unlock and then, did something no company is ever typically willing to do, they released the patent so other manufacturers could adopt the same technology to create a safer CSU and promote anchoring this particular dresser to the wall! It works via a unique interlock system.  If the dresser is left freestanding, the consumer can only open one drawer at a time.  But if they use the integrated metal wall anchors, once secured to the wall, it disengages the interlock and multiple drawers can be opened at once. It's brilliant and gives the consumer two choices, both of which significantly protect children from a deadly tip over. 
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We look forward to seeing more of the design innovations and encourage manufacturers who are currently selling only compliant CSUs to let us know so we can share with our followers and drive business your way! 

What the CPSC is doing to ensure compliance
The CPSC has the regulatory authority to enforce this law. The agency has an entire compliance team tasked with enforcing the many safety rules and regulations the CPSC enforces.  The CPSC Chairman Alex Hoehn-Saric has made it clear in public remarks that enforcement of this new furniture safety law is a priority for the agency. We assume that enforcement action has already begun and we've made it clear to the CPSC that we expect them to aggressively enforce this new law immediately if they are not already doing so, and for many years to come, not just now.

How do they enforce safety laws like this?  We believe there are several ways they could and they include:

1. Spot checks at ports of entry.  The vast majority of furniture sold in the U.S. is manufactured overseas, often in China or Vietnam.  It is then shipped to the U.S.  The CPSC has border/port agents who can check for regulatory compliance of items that come through ports of entry. 
2. Purchasing and testing CSUs.  Especially if there is a suspicion or report of possible non-compliance or a report of a tip-over incident involving a particular CSU.
3. Going into retail stores and checking to see if the furniture on display or in inventory has a manufacture date after 9/1/23.
4. Surprise or spot checks in manufacturer showrooms or storage warehouses
5. Perhaps other ways we are unaware of

How do we know the new law is working?

Honestly, it will be several years before we know if it's working. It will take several years of new incident data to determine how much of an impact this new law will have on tip-over injuries and deaths to children 72 months of age and younger.  

In the meantime, the CPSC will be exercising the regulatory authority to enforce this law.  Honestly, we expect broad compliance, but we know there may be bad actors, most likely overseas manufactures not affiliated with U.S. companies, who may try to game the system and hope they don't get caught.  Eventually, though, they will get caught.

We will continue to pressure all parties not only to comply with the law, but to do more to educate retailers and consumers about the importance of anchoring ALL furniture to the wall, because the vast majority of companies that sell bedroom furniture also sell other types of furniture not covered by this law.  If they truly care about consumer safety, there is a lot more they can be doing on their Websites, in their showrooms, and on social media to educate and protect consumers from tip-overs. Visit www.anchorit.gov to learn more about why and how to #AnchorIt