Batons
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.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1271
Down 52% over 5 years
The verdict
Batons carry a danger score of 26/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 454 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 52% over the last five years.
- 26/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 454
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1271 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 26/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for batons - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume454 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-52%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Batons (CPSC product code 1271, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 454 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 9,070 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 26/100 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 52% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2015 (902 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (135 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for batons is strain, sprain to the wrist, accounting for approximately 677 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (614 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4,238 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how batons 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 | 62 | 185 | |
| 5-14 | 624 | 3,614 | |
| 15-24 | 489 | 2,839 | |
| 25-34 | 366 | 390 | |
| 35-44 | 16 | 245 | |
| 45-54 | 15 | 132 | |
| 55-64 | 97 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
8YOF PRESENTS TO ED WITH A HEADACHE AFTER BEING HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A BATON AT CAMP. DX: HEADACHE;DIZZINESS
16 YOF C/O FINGER CONTUSION S/P TWIRLING A BATON. DX: FINGER CONTUSION
18YOF WAS PRACTICING BATON AND HIT HEAD W THE BATON DX: CONCUSSION
12YOF WAS AT BATON PRACTICE AND ACCIDENTALLY TRIPPED ON OWN SHOE DX ANKLE SPRAIN
16YOM SWALLOWED THE TIP OF A BATON DX: FOREIGN BODY IN ANUS AND RECTUM
15 YOF WAS AT COLOR GUARD PRACTICE, BATON HIT FACE DX FACIAL LACERATION
15 YOF C/O HEAD INJURY S/P HIT BY A METAL FLAG BATON WHILE AT FLAG PRACTICE. DX: HEAD INJURY
17YOF WAS PERFORMING AT A GAME AND THREW HER BATON IN THE AIR AND IT HIT HER EYE DX: FACIAL LACERATION
11YOF WITH SPRAINED HAND FROM A BATON DX: SPRAINED HAND
30YOM PT'S FACE WAS HIT WITH BATON, SUSTAINED SMALL LAAC TO LT OUTER EYE NO DX #
12YOF WITH ANKLE PAIN. C/O PAIN FOR ABOUT A DAY. NO KNOW INJURY, ALTHOUGH SHE IS INVOLVED IN BATON AND GYM. DX: RIGHT ANKLE PAIN
16YOF KNEE PAIN WHEN PRACTICING BATON TWIRLINGDX SPRAIN KNEE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to batons on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are batons?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, batons have a danger score of 26/100 (low risk). An estimated 454 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from batons?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the wrist, accounting for approximately 677 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from batons increasing or decreasing?
Down 52% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for batons injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4,238 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by batons?
Of all ER visits involving batons, approximately 1.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with batons?
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 Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 26/100 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 5-14 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.
