Is Your TV Ready for the Big Game?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Every three weeks in the United States, a child dies from a TV tipping over. That tragic statistic is why Safe Kids Worldwide and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ – formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® – are bringing partners and families together to promote National TV Safety Day on February 6.

National TV Safety Day is celebrated the day before the big game, as families across the country prepare to gather around their TVs for this must-see event. TV Safety Day raises awareness about TV tip-overs and educates parents and caregivers about the importance of securing TVs, and removing unwanted TVs from the home and recycling them.

Best Buy and SANUS are joining Safe Kids and CTA to encourage families to take this opportunity to raise awareness to protect children.

Learn more about TV safety here.

Children under age 5 are at the highest risk, accounting for most of the TV tip-over injuries. And about half (47 percent) of TV and furniture tip-over incidents happen in a bedroom.

Parents and caregivers are urged to do a quick check of their home to make sure all TVs are safely secured and properly placed. Heavier, box-style CRT TVs placed on dressers or high furniture can tip over and cause serious injuries, even death, if children climb onto the furniture. Safe Kids encourages families to include TV safety as part of their childproofing plans by placing CRT TVs on low, stable pieces of furniture. For families with flat-panel televisions, Safe Kids recommends mounting TVs to the wall to reduce the risk of TV tip-overs.

"Most of the TV tip-over incidents that have been brought to our attention involve those older, box-style TVs," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "Take a close look at the TVs in your home.  If your heavy, old-style TV has outlived its usefulness, consider recycling it. Your home will be safer for it."

"Our industry takes TV safety seriously. We strongly encourage everyone to remove CRTs from their homes and use a responsible recycler in their communities," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. "While TVs have evolved to thinner, lighter, flat screen displays, a new CTA survey reports 34 percent of U.S. households still have at least one heavy CRT TV in their home. While this figure is down year-over-year, there are still close to five billions pounds of CRTs sitting in American homes."

A recent study by CPSC estimates that a CRT TV can fall from an average-size dresser with an impact force of up to 12,000 pounds.

"Young children are no match for TVs and furniture that fall with such force," said CPSC Commissioners Marietta Robinson and Joseph Mohorovic. "Parents are urged to create a game plan for safety. Install anti-tip devices when the new TV is brought home. Then, take the next step and recycle the older, heavier box-style TVs."

Safe Kids Worldwide and CTA recommend these tips to help keep your children safe.

1. Properly place your old TV. If you have a heavier, box-style TV, place it on a low, stable piece of furniture that is appropriate for the TV's size and weight.
2. Secure your flat-panel TV. Be sure your flat-panel TV is properly secured with a mount that has a safety certification by an independent laboratory (such as UL, CSA, ETL).
3. Recycle your TV. To find a location near your home that safely and responsibly recycles unwanted TVs, go to www.GreenerGadgets.org.

For more TV safety tips, visit www.safekids.org

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About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 25 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org.

About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)^TM, formerly Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®, is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES^® – the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technology. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services.

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SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide

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