MAY 03, 2011
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is supporting voluntary standards activities to review performance requirements for free standing ranges (kitchen stoves) to address stability. Staff participates in Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standard Technical Panel (STP) activities for UL 858, Household Electric Rangesfor electric ranges and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard for Household Indoor Cooking Gas Appliances (ANSI Z21.1) for gas ranges.
From 1980 through 2008, CPSC staff is aware of 38 fatalities associated with range tipovers. Twenty (53 percent) of these range tipover fatalities involved children aged one year to five years old. From January 1, 1980 through December 31, 2006, CPSC staff is aware of 84 injuries. The majority of injuries, regardless of age, were burns suffered when hot liquids spilled from the pots or pans that tipped when the range tilted.
Anti-tip brackets have been required since 1991; however, concerns have been raised that, despite the brackets being made available, they require special installation procedures which homeowners and/or installers may disregard. To address these concerns, the Standards Technical Panel (STP) for Household Electric Ranges (UL 858) adopted additional markings and installation requirements to improve consumer and installation awareness. The changes include additional markings on a range, as well as warnings in the user's guide and installation instructions. The effective date for these changes is February 18, 2012. CPSC staff is continuing to review the need for additional performance requirements to address hazards associated with range tipover.
Additional Information
Press Releases:
Fact Sheets:
- Check, Install, and Stay Safe (pdf)
- Tips on Checking your Range's Stability (pdf)
- The Tipping Point: Preventing TV, Furniture, and Appliance Tip-Over Deaths and Injuries (pdf)
Incident Data:
- Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture, and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2012 Report (pdf)
- Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture, and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2011 Report (pdf)
- Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture, and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2010 Report (pdf)
- Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture, and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2008 Report (pdf)
- Incident reports involving free standing kitchen range tipovers, March 28, 2007 (pdf)
Voluntary Standard and Code Activities
- Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories, January 5, 2015: CPSC Staff Comments on Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 858 Standards Proposed Requirements from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
- Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories, October 24, 2011: CPSC Staff Proposals for Review and Solicitation of Comments by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 858 Standards Technical Panel
- Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories, September 21, 2009: CPSC Staff Recommendations in response to Request for Comments on the Proposed Requirements to Improve Consumer Awareness and Installation Practices Relative to Range Stability, Bulletin dated August 7, 2009
- UL 858 Standards Technical Panel meeting, November 9, 2007
- Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories, July 27, 2007 to request meeting to discuss range stability
CPSC Staff Reports, Memoranda and Contracts:
- Range Tipovers: An Evaluation of Range Stability, May 2011 (pdf)
Contact Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
- For further information contact Joe Musso at Joseph.R.Musso@us.ul.com
Contact CPSC
- For additional information or to comment, please contact cpsc-os@cpsc.gov
- Join a voluntary standards Email Subscription List