Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Band Saws ranks #482 of 838 by danger score (34/100) at ER-volume #361 of 838 (2,852/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #482
- danger rank of 838
- #361
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 34/100
- danger score
- 2,852/yr
- estimated ER visits (avg)
Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.
Where this category's danger score sits nationally
Danger score (34/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
34 Lower than most lower than 57% of 838 product categories
scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024
Composite verdict
Composite Safety Score: 40/100
One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 4 | 36th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 2,852 | 52nd | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -17% | 39th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 4 | 31st | 20% | CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count |
Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.
Where 57,040 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 842. Segments sum to 57,040 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.
Two danger lenses
Same-group peer scores and this product's dial
The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Home Communication & Entertainment group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.
Home Communication & Entertainment danger scores
How this 34/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for band saws - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 2,852 ER visits/yr Above median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 4.2% Below median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-17%
Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for band saws are declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2009 (3,895 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (1,915 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 36,722 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (6,181 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 9,983 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 4.2% 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 band saws 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 Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 81 | 10 | |
| 5-14 | 4,538 | 725 | |
| 15-24 | 8,664 | 1,030 | |
| 25-34 | 4,725 | 312 | |
| 35-44 | 6,829 | 276 | |
| 45-54 | 7,156 | 657 | |
| 55-64 | 9,700 | 283 | |
| 65-74 | 6,907 | 150 | |
| 75+ | 4,845 | 76 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
69YOM PRESENTS WITH A LACERATION TO HIS LEFT MIDDLE FINGER AFTER HE WAS USING A BAND SAW. DX: OPEN FRACTURE OF TUFT OF DISTAL PHALANX OF FINGER, FINGER LACERATION
30YOM CUT OFF LEFT POINTER FINGER WITH BAND SAW JUST PRIOR TO ARRIVAL TO ER. DX: COMPLETE TRAUMATIC TRANSPHALANGEAL AMPUTATION LEFT INDEX FINGER
19YOM WITH LACERATION TO RIGHT THUMB, INJURED WHEN WAS CUTTING METAL ON A BAND SAW. DX: LACERATION TO RIGHT THUMB
70 YOM SLIPPED USING A BAND SAW CUT FINGER DX: LAC
71YOM PRSENTS TO ED FOR LACERATION TO DORSUM OF LEFT PINKY. PT GOT SMALL LAC ON FOURTH DIGIT BUT VERY SUPERIFICAL. FROM BAND SAW, USED TO CUT WOOD. DX: LACERATION LEFT LITTLE FINGER W/O FOREIGN BODY W/O DAMAGE TO NAIL. INJURY HAND EXTENSOR TENDON LEFT
46YOM PRESENTED WITH A LACERATION TO HIS 3RD FINGER. STATES HE GOT THIS ON A BAND SAW WHILE CUTTING PIPE. DX: LACERATION TO FINGER
20YOF WAS AT WOODSHOP CLASS AND CAUGHT HER RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER IN A BANDSAW DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER
53YOM BROUGHT IN BYSELF FROM WORK WHERE PATIENT CUT TIP OF FINGER OFF WITH A BAND SAW. PRESENTS FROM URGENT CARE. ACUTE LACERATION OF LEFT INDEX FINGERTIP DX: LACERATION OF LEFT HAND WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY.
52 YOM CUT FINGER USING A BAND SAW. DX FINGER LACERATION
42YOM WAS USING A BAND SAW WHEN HE ACCIDENTALLY CUT HIS LEFT THUMB DX: LACERATION FINGER
17YOM,USING BANDSAW IN WORKSHOP INJURED FINGER,DX:FINGER LAC
17YOM PATIENT WAS IN HIS WOODWORKING CLASS AT SCHOOL WHEN HE CUT HIS PINKY WITH A BAND SAW. DX: ACCIDENT CAUSED BY POWERED HAND TOOL. PARTIAL TRAUMATIC AMPUTATION OF LEFT LITTLE FINGER THROUGH PHALANX, OPEN FRACTURE OF HAND, INJURY OF FINGER
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I used a Harbor Freight Portable band saw (item 62800) for several typical homeowner's activities including trimming oak flooring, galvanized pipe and metal fence posts. Attempting to cut these materials with the saw led to overheating, rapid deterioration and finally shattering of the included blade. The 14tpi blade that comes with the saw is the subject of a Safety Warning on page 10 of the Owner's Manual because it should only be used for cutting aluminum, plastic and soft wood. However, the optional blade kit purchased with the saw contains only 3 more 14 tpi blades. The heavy duty 24tpi blade recommended for cutting steel in the Safety Information is not available and never has been available according to either my local Harbor Freight store or Customer Service at the main office in Camarillo, CA. Once the 90day warranty period has elapsed, the saw cannot be returned under any circumstance for either refund or for store credit. Harbor Freight (Katrina at Customer Service, Camarillo) disavows any responsibility for injuries due to blade failure because I didn't use the appropriate saw blade.
I was at work putting my tools away after my shift and my portable Makita XBP02 18v band saw 17.10 serial number 47829 has a push lock safety button on it and the trigger on the saw became engaged by another tool and cut off my right hand pinky finger down to the knuckle on the right hand. The newer models of Band saws now have a spring-loaded safety lock not allowing the trigger to work without the button being pushed at all times
The bandsaw has an issue where the blades keep falling off of the rollers. Initially they will eat into the safety blade guard which will then need to be removed and used without since it is damaged. Afterwards the blades will come off the rollers and high speeds and fly off backwards. This saw was used for cutting 1/8" angle iron and was used for 20 minutes at a time for a total of 6 times initially. Now the product is unable to be used as it throws blades after three seconds after turning on the saw. Blades have been thrown about 2 feet at high speed even embedding themselves into drywall 1 foot away from bandsaw.
Failure of switch on Ryobi 10inch bandsaw. Model #BS1001SV, Serial number:Z043511042. The switch failed to being "on" as the default position. Simply pugging saw in causes it to run. This occurs even if the switch is in the off position and the safety key removed. Web searches revel that this switch is used on numerous Ryobi power tools and has had problems in the past. Switch failure to the off or non-energized position would be not be a problem. This failure to the default energized position appears to be a safety hazard.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to band saws on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Home Communication & Entertainment
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Band Saws: cross-group products nearest on danger score (34/100), estimated annual ER visits (2,852/yr), and hospitalization share (4.2%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
- Furnaces, Other Or Not Specified Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares 2,859/yr
- Gas Ranges Or Ovens Kitchen Cooking Appliances 2,875/yr
- Coffee Makers Or Teapots, Not Specified Containers, Tableware & Packaging 2,817/yr
- Pretend Electronics, Tools, Housewares & Appliances Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment 2,898/yr
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
Related Products in Home Communication & Entertainment
Read with this product
About this data
CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.
According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Band Saws ranks #482 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #361 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does band saws rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, band saws ranks #482 by PlainSafety danger score (34/100) and #361 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (2,852/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from band saws?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 36,722 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from band saws increasing or decreasing?
Down 17% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for band saws injuries?
The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 9,983 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by band saws?
Of all ER visits involving band saws, approximately 4.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (95.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with band saws?
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.
PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.