Freestanding household furniture can be dangerous if it topples, and ACCC Product Safety says the best way to stop furniture tipping over is to secure it to the wall or floor. In Product Safety’s words: “Toppling furniture has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes nearly 20 injuries every week.”
General informationThis page summarises ACCC Product Safety’s toppling furniture and televisions guide as at October 2026, written for furniture in any home. It is general safety information. Insurance and damage questions about hired furniture are outside it, because the official sources gathered here do not answer them.
The pieces that topple, and who they hurt
Product Safety names the kinds of freestanding furniture that can be dangerous if they fall:
- bookcases
- chests of drawers
- wardrobes
- cabinets
- entertainment units
- televisions that are not secured
- hall tables, buffets and sideboards.
Children under 5 are most at risk of serious harm. Young children do not understand the danger, yet they are the most likely to be hurt or killed. Small children tend to climb freestanding bookcases, drawers, wardrobes and sideboards, and if the piece is not secured, a child’s weight can bring it over. Opening drawers or doors moves the unit’s weight forward, and a child’s weight adds to the risk.
A falling piece can hit, trap or crush the person underneath, causing broken or dislocated bones, head and brain injuries, crush injuries, suffocation or asphyxiation. Product Safety asks people to think about safety when choosing furniture and TVs, especially where young children live in the home or might visit.
Start with the floor
Product Safety’s first placing advice is a flat, even surface where possible: furniture is less stable on an uneven or soft surface, such as carpet or a rug. It gives one detail that is easy to miss when a piece is pushed back against a wall. Carpet can become thicker and more uneven at the wall’s edge, so before standing furniture on carpet against a wall, check that the carpet is not bulging there, because that can make the furniture less stable.
Anchors and straps
Securing a piece to the wall or floor is the measure Product Safety rates highest. If furniture comes without anchoring hardware, it can be bought from a furniture retailer, a hardware store or a specialty baby goods store, and the same applies to furniture owned for a while or bought second-hand. The right fixing depends on what the wall or floor is made of and on the piece itself, since there are different kinds of wall and floor anchors; Product Safety suggests asking at a local hardware shop, or a tradesperson, when unsure.
Its advice on choosing a piece reads like a checklist:
- Required warning labels, displayed in store, online and on the furniture.
- A plan for where the piece will go, and how it can be anchored to the wall or floor.
- Sturdy backing material, which adds stability. Pull out any top drawers or open doors and apply a little pressure.
- Drawers that do not fall out easily.
- Built-in drawer stops that limit how far drawers extend, and interlocks that stop more than one drawer opening at a time.
- Low-set furniture, or a sturdy, stable, broad base, which is less likely to tip.
- Safety information that comes with the furniture.
- Equipment to anchor it to the wall, or an anchoring kit bought separately.
- Help from a staff member, if needed, to choose the right product for the home.
Product Safety notes that a new mandatory information standard for these products has come into effect, which suppliers and retailers must comply with.
The television
Modern TVs are much thinner and lighter than older ones, but they can still cause serious injury or death if they fall on a small child. A heavy item such as a TV on top of furniture can fall when the furniture becomes unstable, which adds to the severity of injuries. Product Safety’s steps:
- Use the straps. Most TVs come with anchor straps, which attach the TV to the wall or to a TV stand or entertainment unit.
- Choose a low, stable spot. Not on furniture that is not meant for a TV, such as a chest of drawers.
- Secure what it sits on. If the TV is strapped to a piece of furniture, make sure that furniture is secured to the wall as well.
- Or mount it. Product Safety suggests considering mounting the TV on the wall.
Drawers, shelves and what sits on top
As well as securing furniture and TVs, Product Safety’s advice for a home with children is to keep the heaviest items in the bottom drawers and on the lowest shelves, because top-heavy furniture tips more easily, and not to place heavy items such as TVs, or things that attract children, on top of furniture. It also suggests locking devices on all drawers, which help prevent children from opening them and using them as steps.
Room by room
The same advice, gathered by the rooms these pieces usually stand in. The rooms are our grouping; each piece and each point comes from Product Safety’s guide.
| Room | Pieces on Product Safety’s list | Its advice for them |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Entertainment unit, television | TV strapped to the wall or the unit, the unit secured to the wall, the TV low and stable. |
| Bedroom | Chest of drawers, wardrobe | Secured to the wall or floor; heaviest things in the bottom drawers; locking devices on drawers; no TV on top. |
| Hall and dining room | Hall table, buffet, sideboard | Secured; nothing heavy, and nothing that draws a child, on top. |
| Study or reading corner | Bookcase | Secured, since small children climb freestanding bookcases; heaviest books on the lowest shelves. |
If a piece falls
“If a person is seriously injured or needs urgent medical help, call emergency services on Triple Zero (000).” ACCC Product Safety
A product that does not comply with the mandatory standard, or is unsafe, can be reported to ACCC Product Safety. The same Product Safety guide links to related product recalls.
In a rented home
Product Safety’s advice to tenants is to talk to the landlord or agent about installing anchor devices to the wall, explaining why and offering to remove them at the end of the tenancy. In Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, laws make it much easier for a tenant to fix furniture to the wall for safety. The guide points renters in other states and territories to their own tenancy body.