Many everyday objects can have the potential to pose dangers to children under the wrong circumstances. Furniture is among these things. This is a point that many people have been reminded of lately as a result of a video that recently went viral. The video reportedly is from a baby monitor and it is of a dresser falling on two young children. The children, who are twin brothers and are two years old, reportedly are alright.
The video serves as a reminder of the furniture fall risks that can arise in connection to kids. Now, there are steps individuals can take when it comes to rooms that children are normally in to try to reduce the accident risks furniture in the room poses to children, including:
- Properly securing the furniture to the room’s walls, through things like anchors, mounts and furniture straps.
- Keeping heavier objects placed on furniture close to the ground. When such objects are kept on higher levels, they could pose falling object risks to kids.
- Inspecting the room for potential risks to kids. When inspecting for such dangers, one thing that may help is taking a “kid’s-eye” view of the room.
Child-related furniture safety can be a very important issue for parents when it comes to their family’s home. It can also be an important issue for companies that provide child-related services, like child care, when it comes to their premises. When accidents involving a child occur at such a business, and allegations of negligence regarding things like its handling of furniture safety issues arise against the business, the company could face significant premises liability litigation. Such litigation could have major ramifications for such a business.
So, for both the protection of the kids their business provides services to and the protection of the well-being of their company, an owner of a day care company or similar business may want to pay special attention to furniture safety issues on their premises. Also, when they are facing premises liability litigation regarding accidents that occurred involving furniture or other objects on their premises, such business owners may want to seek out advice from a skilled attorney on the matter and their defense options.
Source: KWCH, “Tips for keeping your kids safe from falling furniture,” Devon Fasbinder, Jan. 3, 2017
