ARE YOU
OVERLOOKING Tip-Over ?
By Gretchen Hoefling
The legislative landscape is constantly evolving , and it can be challenging to stay up to date when it comes to safety . The time warp created by COVID-19 has only made it more of a hurdle , especially in the hospitality space , as hotel stays dwindled and reliable staff did too .
As a result , requirements that should have been implemented in 2020 fell by the wayside , and some initiatives were overlooked .
An example of this is the updated guidance around furniture antitip efforts . While the furniture industry must adhere to new weight withstanding guidelines , most hotels are not prepared to replace all their current furniture with pieces that meet the new standards . Many hotels have yet to implement solutions to this guideline or , in some cases , have but inadequately .
For example , a popular option has been plastic zip tie-type kits to secure furniture to the wall . If a child climbs on open drawers , the furniture should remain secure . However , this exact type of incident was reported to occur at the same company in three different properties within a two-week time frame , resulting in the dresser falling on each child . Fortunately , in all cases , the child was largely unharmed , but also , in all three cases , while the furniture was tethered with the above-mentioned plastic anti-tip kit , the kits themselves failed to withstand the weight of the climbing child .
118 ILHA