Is heavy, tall furniture securely fastened to wall studs?
Anchor heavy, tall furniture to vertical wall studs, concrete or masonry with steel angle brackets. Even large, heavy objects that appear stable should be secured to the wall. The heavier the furniture, the stronger the restraints need to be. A heavily loaded file cabinet requires much stronger restraints to keep it from overturning than a light file cabinet with the same dimensions. Make sure the screws penetrate the studs behind the wall. Gypsum board, drywall, plaster and other wall coverings are not strong enough to hold heavy furniture during an earthquake. For wood studs (typically located 16 or 24 inches on centers), use a minimum 1/4″ diameter by 3″ lag screws. For metal studs, use #12 sheet-metal screws long enough to penetrate the flange material. For concrete or masonry walls, use concrete anchor bolts. If wall studs do not line up with the furniture, consider installing a wood 2″x4″ or steel horizontal mounting strip to the studs near the top of the items to be anchored. Fu
