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Do I need to anchor furniture and the TV? Yes. Here's how

Toppling furniture and TVs have killed at least 28 Australians since 2000, 17 of them children under five. How to anchor drawers, bookcases and the TV.

A parent fixes a wall strap to a chest of drawers while a toddler stacks blocks on the rug nearby

A toddler pulls out the bottom drawers, uses them as steps, and the whole chest tips forward. Since 2000, toppling furniture and TVs have killed at least 28 people in Australia, including 17 children under five. More than 900 Australians a year need medical help after furniture falls on them. Children up to four are most at risk.

Opening drawers or doors shifts a unit's weight forward, and a climbing child adds more. A TV on top makes it worse. Modern TVs are thinner and lighter, but they can still kill a small child.

Anchor it

The best way to stop furniture tipping is to fix it to the wall or floor.

  1. Use the kit in the box. If there isn't one, buy straps, angle braces or anchors from a hardware, furniture or baby shop. This works for old and second-hand furniture too.
  2. Match the fixing to the wall. Brick, plasterboard and timber studs each need different anchors. Ask at the hardware shop, or ask a tradesperson.
  3. Secure the TV. Most come with anchor straps. Strap it to the wall, or to the TV unit, and anchor the unit to the wall too. Better still, mount it on the wall.
  4. TVs go low, on furniture made for them. Never on a chest of drawers.

Then make it hard to climb

  1. Heaviest things in the bottom drawers and shelves. Top-heavy furniture tips more easily.
  2. Nothing heavy, and nothing a child wants, on top: no TV, toys, remotes or lollies.
  3. Fit locks to drawers so they can't become a ladder.
  4. Stand furniture on a flat, firm floor. Thick carpet or a rug, or carpet that bulges at the wall, makes it less stable.

Renting?

Talk to your landlord or agent about fitting anchors to the wall, and explain why.

Buying new

Since 4 May 2025, chests of drawers and bookcases 686 mm or taller, entertainment units of any height, and hall tables, display cabinets, buffets and sideboards 686 mm or taller must carry tip-over warnings, in store and online. Look for a sturdy back, a broad base, drawer stops, and an interlock that opens only one drawer at a time. Push gently on an open top drawer before you buy.

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