Awls, Chisels Or Planes
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Communication & Entertainment · CPSC Code 870
Down 18% over 5 years
The verdict
Awls, Chisels Or Planes carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 4,144 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 18% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 4,144
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 35-44
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 870 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for awls, chisels or planes - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume4,144 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-18%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Awls, Chisels Or Planes (CPSC product code 870, in the Home Communication & Entertainment category) generate an estimated 4,144 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 82,880 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 18% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (6,705 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2019 (2,536 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for awls, chisels or planes is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 33,569 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (18,969 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 15,563 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 4 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how awls, chisels or planes fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 403 | 113 | |
| 5-14 | 2,808 | 344 | |
| 15-24 | 10,554 | 774 | |
| 25-34 | 13,673 | 1,446 | |
| 35-44 | 14,199 | 1,364 | |
| 45-54 | 11,334 | 679 | |
| 55-64 | 11,582 | 899 | |
| 65-74 | 7,819 | 537 | |
| 75+ | 4,273 | 91 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Wrist | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Arm | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Foot | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
46YOM W/LAC VOLAR ASPECT OF RIGHT DISTAL FOREARM. THIS INJ WAS SUSTAINED SHORTLY PTA. HE WAS USING A CHISEL, LOST CONTROL OF THE CHISEL & ACCIDENTALLY STRUCK THE R VOLAR DISTAL FOREARM. INJURY OCCURRED AT HOME. DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT WRIST
78 YOM-CUT HAND ON A CHISEL DX: HAND LACERATION
23YOM WAS WORKING WITH A CHISEL WHICH SLIPPED RESULTING IN A LACREATION TO THE PALMER ASPECT OF HIS MIDDLE FINGER. DX: LAACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT INDEX FINGER WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL INITIAL.
58YOM WAS CHISELING WOOD WITH HIS WOOD CHISELER AND CUT HIS LEFT THUMB. DX: LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT THUMB WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL
20YOM WAS DOING WOODWORKING AND THE CHISEL SLIPPED AND KNICKED HIS LEFT MIDDLE FINER RESULTING IN A LACERATION. DX: FINGER LACERATION
17 YOM WAS MOVING A PLANE AND INJURED FINGER DX: SPRAIN
43YOM PATIENT WAS WORKING WITH A CHISEL WHEN IT SLIPPED AND CUT HIS LEFT HAND DX: LACERATION OF LEFT HAND WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY
8YOF PT USING WOOD CARVING TOOLS ON A STICK & CUT LEFT 2ND FINGER DX: LAC OF LEFT INDEX FINGER
75YOM C/O FINGER LACERATION S/P PT STATES HE WAS USING A PLANER EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, WHEN HE LOST GRIP AND HIS HAND SLIPPED AND GOT CUT BY THE PLANER. DX: LACERATION AND OPEN DISPLACED FRACTURE OF RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER
28 YOF STATES A WEEK OR SO AGO SHE WAS PLANING AND USING A CLAMP AND DEVELOPED PAIN IN HER RIGHT WRIST. DX: PAIN IN RIGHT WRIST, ARM PARESTHESIA BILATERAL
29YOM,CUT HAND WITH CHISEL TOOL,DX:HAND LAC
37YOM WITH LAC TO HAND FROM A CHISEL DX: LAC TO HAND
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Using a Stanley Side Strike Chisel Set - Model DWHT16148. The most dangerous manual tools I have ever owned as a professional engineer with 50 years' experience. This is third time in using the tools to build a small wood project that the side edge has sliced through even my [REDACTED] gloves and cut me on my left thumb and right index fingers. It is impossible to use these without chainmail gloves - which I have now ordered. There is NOTHING on the package aor on the Stanley website that discusses the additional hazards and required PPE for using this tool.
using a chisel to tap a bearing off chisel broke went into my arm have 3 pieces of metel in my arm went to hosp.
(12/14/2019) The consumer stated that the product come with two protective covers, one for the tip and a sheath for the serrated edge. The consumer was trying to put the cover on the tip when the chisel slipped out of the sheath and sliced the thumb on his left hand. The consumer went to the emergency room. Six stitches were required to close the cut on his thumb. The consumer stated that there is a design flaw in the product. The consumer called the firm on 12/16 and was advised that someone would contact him.
I purchased a "Neat Ice Kit (Double Mold) - Clear Ice Cube Mold" from Amazon.com for making clear ice. The way it works is that you freeze water in this special insulated mold. It makes a block of ice approximately 2" x 2" x 4"; it has clear ice in one end and cloudy ice in the other. The kit provides a steel chisel with a wooden mallet, intended to be used to break the block of ice into smaller pieces that would fit in a drinking glass. After using the chisel as directed to break off the clear portion of the ice (for the first time), I saw a very small dark object on the ice. Thinking my recently cleaned cutting board may have had something on it, I brushed it away with the many little pieces of ice. Then I noticed that there were seven new very small chipped areas on the sharp edge of the chisel. It looked like I had been cutting granite, instead of frozen water. Small pieces of steel had broken off and I only saw one of them. The other six pieces apparently got mixed in with the ice. I don't want a product that inserts pieces of a steel chisel into the ice I put in my drinks. I will ask for a refund. I'm not a doctor or scientist, and can't say for sure what the effects are of drinking a liquid with chips of steel chisel, but common sense tells me that this product, or at least the chisel, should be removed from the market until the problems can be solved. I should probably be writing the Consumer Products Safety Commission too. Link to the item on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Neat-Ice-Kit-Double-Mold/dp/B00O2CO93G/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to awls, chisels or planes on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are awls, chisels or planes?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, awls, chisels or planes have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 4,144 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from awls, chisels or planes?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 33,569 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from awls, chisels or planes increasing or decreasing?
Down 18% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for awls, chisels or planes injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 15,563 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by awls, chisels or planes?
Of all ER visits involving awls, chisels or planes, approximately 1.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with awls, chisels or planes?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Communication & Entertainment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 35-44 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
