IKEA has issued a safety warning after three children lost their lives in tragic accidents involving the same range of furniture.
All three fatal incidents involved items from the Malm range, and occurred when the furniture tipped over on top of the children.
The most recent fatality was Philadelphia toddler Ted McGee, who died when a set of drawers fell on top of him, less than two years after two separate fatalities.
Ted’s mum Janet had put the 22-month-old down to bed in his cot and was checking on him every twenty minutes.
However, when she couldn’t find him in his cot, she presumed he was hiding until she saw the drawers tipped on the floor, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer.
Now, IKEA have issued a safetly warning, stating that to them “children are the most important people in the world”.
IKEA warns that the Malm drawers must be attached to the wall
The warning states:
“We at IKEA offer our deepest condolences to the McGee family.
“At IKEA, we believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority.
“Upon being informed of this incident IKEA US immediately reported it to the authorities and an investigation is taking place.
“IKEA US has been advised that the product was not attached to the wall, which is an integral part of the products’ assembly instructions.
“We wish to emphasise that the best way to prevent tip-over of chests of drawers is to attach products to the wall with the included restraints and hardware per the assembly instructions.
“IKEA has included restraints with our chest of drawers for decades, and wall attachment is an integral part of the assembly instructions.”
