A Scoping meeting of Standards Australia (SA) Technical Committee CS-088 was recently held to discuss the review of AS/NZS 4935:2009 Domestic furniture – Freestanding chests of drawers, wardrobes and bookshelves/bookcases – Determination of stability.

Since that meeting the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have released a 2nd Consultation Paper on Toppling Furniture, seeking comments on various options being considered by the ACCC. The closing date for submissions was 13 June. For your information the ACCC paper is here. The SA committee has decided to hold off the review until the ACCC have commented on the submissions received.

The stability of furniture particularly Clothing Storage Units is an ongoing topic being discussed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the USA (CPSC). It is also of interest that the CPSC have undertaken extensive research on this subject with regulatory proposals out for public comment.