kitchen cupboards fell off wall

carolwat

I am at the moment feeling very sick at the thought of what could have happened to my cousins baby today.

She lives in a housing association property and moved in a couple of months ago. The kitchen looks fairly new although I cant say exactly when it was fitted. Today she called me in total shock so I went straight there to find 2 1000mm kitchen cupboards on the floor along with all their contents.

http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/album?album_id=26773324

Her baby was in the blue baby chair and you can see just how close the cupboard came to him.

His pram was also right below the cupboards which he goes in for a nap and I am so thankful he wasnt in it at the time as I really think it would have killed him.

The wall these cupboards were fixed to is a plasterboard wall and the fittings used were completely useless for the load bearing. The plugs used are the type used for speakers or other such low weight items and certainly not for kitchen units. One of the brackets remains on the wall and it is actually only fixed on with one screw. You can also see a screw remaining on the wall on the lower left hand side and this has been screwed diagonally through the side of the cupboard and into the wall. There was also another at the top which is still in the cupboard as you can see from the photo. They clearly knew it wasnt safe hanging from the brackets otherwise they wouldnt have put these extra screws in. The fixings were not screwed into the stoothing/stud nor were any batons fixed across them to support the cupboards onto.

This to me is a serious health and safety incident and as such I have spoken to the emergency repair place which have logged the call but in reality it was pointless them coming out as all they would do is make safe but as the units are already all on the floor there was nothing to make safe. I have also telephoned the contrators who fitted the units although in hindsight I shouldnt have given them the heads up. They are coming 9 am Monday morning but im not going to let them touch anything. Im not going to let this be hidden. They have continued to fit units in exactly the same way in other houses infact I have learnt today that one tenant has just refused this and asked them to put them on the brick dividing wall instead which I understand they have done.

So as it stands now I have to call the council Monday morning and let them know whats happened but I dont want to let this go with a simple apology and repair as this is far to dangerous to just be covered up. At the moment my cousin has moved into her mothers house for the weekend and we have left everything as it was. I want them to see exactly how bad this all is and to take in the full context of just how dangerous it was.

I was also thinking of trading standards as the company that fitted them needs to be checked over this. Also who would I call with regards to the health and safety of it all, someone who is independent and will ensure this never happens again and who will ensure the units fitted in other houses are safe.

Thanks for any help you can give.

ormus

as no one was actually hurt, i doubt anyone will be very interested.

now you know why i always use spring toggle fixings in PB, for anything above a light duty loading.

PROFESSIONAL_LANDLORD

Very poor workmanship, we always install this= http://www.diy-warehouse.co.uk/product_9804-3-_Cabinet-hanger-wall-rail.htm for plasterboard walls.

carolwat

Are you serious. It is only by total luck that noone was hurt. These cupboards have been hung incorrectly with the wrong fixings and even if they had been the correct fixings they werent fixed to the right place.

Its great you use spring toggle fixings and so would my husband but the fact here is this isnt a mistake someone doing some diy has made. This is a mistake made by a company specialised in fitting kitchens.

carolwat

Thank you professional landlord. We know what fixings should have been used and thats what we would have used had we done the work ourselves. My point is we didnt do it, a company did and I want to know what I can do to stop this happening again.

andrew-b

They should never have used plasterboard fixers for kitchen units or if they did should at least have warned not to put lots of tins etc in. Looks like in one of the pictures they've used plasterboard fixer in one hole and a standard rawlplug in the other. They should have cut the plasterboard out and inserted timbers into the wall that the cupboard fitting could then be screwed into. I wouldn't accept anything else when they come to repair. Or if the walls are dry lined they should have used long screws to go into masonry behind.
Really very lucky no one was hurt and looks like baby had a very lucky escape. Our kitchen fitters had hung a unit on it's bracket (Well partly!) then accidentally knocked it off it's brackets (they then had the nerve to blame me for being in the kitchen at the time!!!). Big noise and it collided with the door making a hole in it ..that was an empty unit so those two units must have made a hell of a bang and would have done the baby serious injury.

carolwat

Thats correct they have used a standard plug in one of the holes. I couldnt believe my eyes. I think my poor cousin would be very reluctant to ever use any cupboards on that wall again. It isnt dry lined and is purely a stoothing wall.

Yes the baby did have a lucky escape. Apart from a big shock with the noise he is fine but he was screaming as he was very shook up which is understandable. I dont know how its even missed his legs.

There was never a warning on not putting much in the cupboards and nor would I expect one to be honest. They are there to use and should be able to hold stuff like tins etc that are put in kitchen units.

ormus

i am deadly serious.
the HSE have enough trouble with the average 365 deaths every year on building sites. i doubt they would be very interested in your two units that fell off a wall and nearly hit an empty pram.
as you have no contract with the kitchen fitters, theres little you can do.

report it to the HA, and they will/may take it up with the fitters.

frank.hopper

carolwat wrote: »

I want to know what I can do to stop this happening again.

They should install the rail as minumum it's ideal for dry lined walls that way they will have a choice of multiple fixings-insist on it. I agree Carol you can't hand out warnings as to the weight, people should be able to fill them with what they want.


The HA now have a duty to inspect all the wall units that have been installed in a similar fashion to all their properties.

amcluesent

> in a housing association property<

No surprise, your housing is thrown together by immigrants on minimum wage who can't speak English and have never seen sight of a qualification for the building trade. The quicker they can bodge the job, the quicker they get cash in hand and back home on Ryanair for bevvies.

carolwat

Ormus I never mentioned the HSE. I will report it to the HA on Monday morning. As for nearly hitting the pram, it did hit the pram but thankfully the baby wasnt in it at the time.

Frank its not a dry lined wall, its only a plasterboard stoothing wall. Can I ask how you know they have a duty to inspect other houses, is this law or just morally correct please?

amcluesent its not my house and it wasnt thrown together by immigrants either. Its been built for a number of years and the fitters who are fitting the kitchens are british. I dont see how you can say what you have said, its a very speculative thing to say.