by Units made in China by Cranach Hardware and sold on Amazon can fail and break, potentially resulting in furniture tip-overs that pose serious harm to children
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning to consumers to immediately stop using a defective plastic tip restraint kit that can break and fail over time, resulting in possible tip-over incidents that injure or kill children.
The agency issued the warning on Sept. 11 for a plastic tip restraint made by Cranach Hardware that was sold on Amazon for between $6 and $30 based on the number of units included in a single package.
The agency said that the units are defective and failed to meet the safety requirements of industry tip restraint standard ASTM-F3096. It was not immediately clear how many of these units are out in the marketplace.
However, the CPSC said it is aware of at least 115 incidents where consumers reported that these tip restraints broke, including six incidents resulting in a tip-over involving a piece of furniture.
“This is a hidden defect because consumers who purchase and install this product may be under a false sense of security that their furniture is safe from a tip-over incident,” the CPSC said, adding, “Consumers should be aware that a young child could be severely injured if interacting with furniture that is secured to the wall with these defective plastic tip restraints.”
The CPSC said the defective tip restraint kits contained two plastic brackets, including one that connects to the piece of furniture and one that connects to the wall “with a plastic cable zip tie, two different pairs of screws, one longer than the other, and two drywall anchors.”
These products were manufactured in China by Cranach Hardware, which the CPSC said has not responded to a request to recall the item.
Thus, the agency has urged consumers to stop using and remove the defective tip restraints from their furniture and dispose of them as soon as possible. It also suggests that consumers secure their furniture with tip restraints that comply with industry standard ASTM F3096-23.
Consumers wanting more detailed information and instructions on how to properly anchor furniture to the wall to prevent tip-over incidents can visit the CPSC’s Anchor It! website, https://www.anchorit.gov/. The educational materials on this site are free and can be downloaded for public use.
Consumers are also urged to report any incidents involving injury or product defects to the CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.
