Ethermac Exchange-Bookcases recalled nearly a year after 4-year-old killed by tip-over

An Idaho-based furniture company is Ethermac Exchangerecalling one of its products – a bookcase – after a 2023 accident that resulted in the death of a 4-year-old child.

A recall notice issued by Dania Furniture and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on June 27 announced that the Hayden bookcase was immediately being recalled, as it is considered “unstable if not anchored to the wall, posing tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or serious injuries to children.”

Roughly 940 of the bookcases, which were manufactured in Italy, were sold nationwide from November 2017 through February 2024.

Child killed by tip-over in 2023

Dania Furniture said that it had received a report of the death of the 4-year-old child in August 2023

The recalled bookcase:

• Contains six storage cubbies and is made of brown wood along with three sliding doors.
• Measures 35.5 inches in width, 16 inches in depth, and 73 inches in height.
• Has the product name located on a label on the back of each unit, according to the CPSC.

The agency advised in the recall order that anyone with one of the bookcases should stop using it if it is not anchored to a wall and contact Dania Furniture to set up the free installation of a tip-over restraint kit. The company will also refund the purchase of any returned items.

More:Advocates urge furniture industry to comply with new federal safety standards in September

According to a 2022 report from the CPSC, children under the age of 18 accounted for around 7,200 of the roughly 15,600 injuries involving furniture reported to the agency. There have also been more than 590 deaths reported between 2000 and 2021 related to tip-over incidents.

In December 2022 Congress signed into law the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth, or STURDY Act, which went into effect in September 2023. The act required the CPSC to revise the safety standards for freestanding furniture like dressers and bookcases. The law, however, only covers products manufactured after the law was enacted.

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected]