In this, our latest article on earthquake
preparedness in San Francisco and safety in the home, we take a look at Furniture Safety Straps – the most modern fasteners on the market for securing heavy furniture around your home.

The first thing you should know, and many folks don’t, is that the majority of injuries in an earthquake are caused by heavy items falling on top of people.  That’s right; it’s not so much collapsing buildings as you might think.  For example, in the Northridge earthquake in 1994, 55% of injuries were caused by things falling on people.

The tall, top-heavy pieces are usually the culprits as they’re prone to toppling over if left unsecured.  Due to the weight distribution in things like bookcases, china cabinets and wall units they can easily fall forward and because of that they need to be secured to the wall.

In an earthquake those items will be among the first things to come crashing down if they’re not secured and that’s where Furniture Safety Straps set the standard.  They will keep furniture upright.

It usually doesn’t occur to most of us until it’s too late, but the fact is that the heavier pieces of furniture can cause very serious injuries and even fatalities if they fall on top of people, particularly the elderly and young children.

The upside, however, is that earthquake preparedness in San Francisco is easy and affordable by using Furniture Safety Straps and you can even apply them yourself.

Furniture Safety Straps

These fasteners are made from woven nylon to make them flexible so that they stop bigger pieces of furniture from falling over in an earthquake.  They are essential for earthquake preparedness in San Francisco.

These are the strongest, most versatile straps available on the market today and are easy to install.

One end of the strap has a ‘peel and press’ strip that features Velcro and industrial strength adhesive that’s designed to stick to the top of the item of furniture, while the other end is bolted into the wall stud behind it.

There are no holes to be drilled in furniture, the straps won’t damage wood and they hide from view.

Each Furniture Safety Strap kit contains two 15” nylon straps, enough to secure one large item of furniture.  Each strap has a break strength of 350 lbs., meaning items up to 700 lbs. can be secured.

They have been developed specifically to secure bigger, heavier pieces of furniture in every room of a home, and office for that matter, and their easy application makes installation a breeze.

The straps come in different colors to suit the varying décor of modern homes.  They have been tested and approved and are recommended by the leading earthquake preparedness agencies.

These flexible nylon straps are the preferred method for securing bigger pieces of furniture, as opposed to using rigid metal brackets, because they allow items to move independently of the wall.  Metal brackets can cause furniture to sheer away from the wall and smash because there’s no give in them to allow any movement.

Once you’ve attached them, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your furniture is secured and won’t teeter or fall.

Because earthquakes can strike anywhere at any time, earthquake preparedness in San Francisco is your best defense.  A golden rule of thumb is if it's heavy enough to hurt you if it falls on you, it should be secured in place.

There are seven steps to earthquake preparedness in San Francisco and the first one is to identify potential hazards around the home and fix them.  And once again, that means bracing furniture to the wall to ensure that it won’t topple over and smash.

Do it today before it’s too late.