Announcement date
3 May 2024
Link to announcement
Toppling furniture mandatory standard
Problem being addressed
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is aware of at least 28 deaths associated with toppling furniture in Australia since 2000 and estimates there are at least 900 injuries a year requiring medical treatment, with children aged up to 4 years most at risk.
Freestanding storage furniture such as chest of drawers, cupboards, wardrobes and bookshelves pose the greatest risk of toppling over resulting in injury or death. The greatest risk of injury or death arises when children attempt to climb furniture, as the weight of a child on an open drawer or shelf may unbalance the furniture.
The ACCC released a consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS)—Safety risks posed by toppling furniture—seeking submissions from parents, caregivers, health and medical professionals, manufacturers, importers, retailers, community organisations, regulators, government departments, members of the public and other stakeholders in mid-2022.
Proposal
The Impact Analysis (IA) considers options, shaped by the consultation, aimed at reducing the risk of death and injury associated with toppling furniture. The four options considered are:
- Option 1: Status quo, no change.
- Option 2 (recommended): A mandatory information standard including warning labelling and the provision of safety information, including at point of sale.
- Option 3: A mandatory safety standard including warning labelling and the provision safety information with the product, and stability and anchoring requirements.
- Option 4: A mandatory safety standard and a mandatory information standard (combination of Option 2 and Option 3).
The ACCC considers that Option 2 a mandatory information standard will improve safety outcomes for freestanding storage furniture by:
- educating consumers on risks, safe furniture use, and effective anchoring strategies through affixed permanent warning labels
- providing mandatory instore warnings such as hang tags and placards to raise awareness at point of sale
- supporting information equity with the use of clear graphic warnings and plain English.
Because this option is limited to providing information and does not require furniture design changes, the ACCC anticipate it will cause minimal disruption to the market.
The ACCC will complement this regulatory option with an education campaign during the transition period for the mandatory information standard, to raise awareness of the dangers of toppling furniture and provide tools and advice on anchoring furniture. The ACCC anticipates a mandatory information standard and consumer education campaign will address toppling furniture risks in a timely and wide-reaching manner.
The ACCC does not recommend the introduction of a mandatory safety standard at this time, however, recognises it may be appropriate to revisit following the publication of any relevant new or revised voluntary standard in the future.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Good Practice
Assessment comments
The analysis in the IA is good quality overall. The IA addresses the seven IA questions and follows an appropriate policy development process. Better data would have allowed for improved identification of the problem as well as more reliable cost benefit analysis.
Regulatory burden
With limited available data and relying on broad assumptions, the IA notes that the cost-benefit analysis can only broadly indicate the cost of intervention. The ACCC have indicated they will provide an estimate of regulatory costs as part of the early implementation of the reforms.