The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with IKEA North America, of Conshohocken, PA has announced a repair program that includes a free wall anchoring kit, for their MALM 3- and 4-drawer chests and two styles of MALM 6- drawers chests as well as other chests and dressers. About 27 million units of the furniture has been found to pose a tip-over hazard if not securely anchored to the wall.

 

IKEA received reports of two children who tragically died after MALM chests tipped over and fell on them. The children became trapped under the weight of the chests. IKEA and CPSC have received at least 14 reports of tip-over incidents involving MALM chests, four of which resulted in injuries.

Designers and manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that their products can be safely used in foreseeable home environments. Even when a product is not sold or marketed as a toy or children’s product, if it will foreseeably be used in a home with small children, it must be sold with the appropriate cautions and warnings, and most importantly, with design safeguards to prevent the needless and tragic loss of life.

If you or a family member has questions about a defective product or negligence in the design or manufacture of a children’s product, contact the law office of Swartz & Swartz, P.C. Call (617) 742-1900 in the Boston area, or call us toll-free at 1-800-545-3732 in greater Massachusetts, New England, or other states across the U.S.

About the Author: James Swartz
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Mr. Swartz, our Managing and Principal Attorney at Swartz & Swartz P.C., is a nationally recognized and respected trial attorney as well as consumer advocate. His practice focuses on cases involving negligence, torts, products liability, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and other claims involving catastrophic injuries.

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