Flat Screens Are Killers

No, I'm not referring to the program content viewed on television these days, bad as it is I know of no deaths attributed to it, yet. I'm speaking of the object itself.

It seems that a growing number of people are being hurt, or even killed, by falling flat screens. These mishaps fall into two categories. One is "tip overs" wherein someone pulls on the inherently unstable device and has the top heavy appliance fall upon them. The other is the result of improper wall installation, wherein the television is attached to the wall incorrectly and gravity brings it down.

That the second circumstance was in play caught my attention a few weeks back when I happened upon a Popular Mechanics article purporting to instruct on the proper way to hang an HDTV. I was appalled that the author recommended using hollow wall anchors into the drywall!

WRONG! DO NOT DO THIS! -->


As I said in the comment I left at PM, I would never hang a television using hollow wall anchors. That anchorage is only as strong as the drywall around the anchor; and drywall is notoriously brittle and fragile. And, you can not depend on a so-called professional to know that drywall is not strong enough to hold a TV.

Crutchfield offers a good video tutorial on hanging a television. Pay attention when she speaks about finding and attaching to the studs. I would only add to her presentation that, for the screws they use, it is necessary to pre-drill the studs with the proper sized drill bit. This assumes the studs are made of wood.For applications with metal studs, or concrete walls, alternate anchors will be necessary; I will effort to find a tutorial that explains those situations.

It is also true that falling objects causing harm is not restricted to televisions alone. Anything mounted on your walls needs to be securely anchored, including pictures, cabinets, etc. If they fall someone could get hurt.

And, the threat from tip over accident also expands to all furniture, including televisions both old and new.

"Like many other childhood bumps and bruises, most of the injuries related to falling furniture were minor. But 3 percent of the 264,200 children whose cases were reviewed from 1990 to 2007 were injured seriously enough to require hospital admission — most of them for head and neck injuries — and about 300 of them died.">Like many other childhood bumps and bruises, most of the injuries related to falling furniture were minor. But 3 percent of the 264,200 children whose cases were reviewed from 1990 to 2007 were injured seriously enough to require hospital admission — most of them for head and neck injuries — and about 300 of them died.

The solution in any case where furniture can be pulled over is the attachment of a safety strap or other anchor device. Keep in mind that the safety device and its anchorage must be strong enough to hold the object in place when additional weight or force is applied. It is common sense; so, if you lack that attribute then you need to borrow or hire someone who has it.