Brick, Stone Or Masonry Chimneys
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.
Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares · CPSC Code 372
Up 99% over 5 years
The verdict
Brick, Stone Or Masonry Chimneys carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 377 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 99% over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 377
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 372 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for brick, stone or masonry chimneys - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume377 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+99%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Brick, Stone Or Masonry Chimneys (CPSC product code 372, in the Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares category) generate an estimated 377 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 7,539 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 37/100 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 rising by about 99% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2019 (1,150 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (6 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for brick, stone or masonry chimneys is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 988 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the head (854 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,595 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 1.9% 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 brick, stone or masonry chimneys 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 | 789 | 343 | |
| 5-14 | 1,251 | 344 | |
| 15-24 | 635 | 226 | |
| 25-34 | 551 | 175 | |
| 35-44 | 339 | 170 | |
| 45-54 | 249 | 76 | |
| 55-64 | 196 | 381 | |
| 65-74 | 309 | 386 | |
| 75+ | 734 | 388 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Head | Other | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
63YOM C/O CHEST PAIN AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH AFTER LAYING BRICKS YESTERDAY DX: CHEST PAIN
25YOF-PRESENTED TO THE FOR LEFT LOWER LEG PAIN. PATIENT SAID A PIECE OF BRICK WAS THROWN BY THE LAWNMOWER STRIKING HER LEFT LOWER LEG JUST PROXIMAL TO THE ANKLE. COMPLAINS OF MILD CONSTANT DULL PAIN. DX: CONTUSION OF LEFT LOWER LEG
75YOF C/O RIB PAIN, SHE WAS TEARING DOWN A BRICK CHIMNEY AND FELT A STRAINING IN HER UPPER ABDOMINAL WALL AND CHEST WALL REGION. WHEN SITTING IT RESOLVES. DX;STRAIN OF ABDOMINAL WALL.
9YOM COMES TO THE ER WITH A HEAD INJURY. HE WAS PLAYING IN THE BASEMENT AND HE RAN INTO THE CINDER BLOCK CHIMNEY.. NO LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS OR VOMITING EXAM SHOWS CONTUSION OF LEFT FOREHEAD. DX: CONTUSION HEAD
65YOF WITH FALL, HAS BACK PAIN. PATIENT LOST BALANCE, WAS FALLING, TRIED NOT TO HIT HER HEAD BUT HIT HER LOWER BACK ON CONCRETE BLOCKS.DX: ACUTE TRAUMATIC LUMBAR MUSCLE STRAIN.
70YOF COMPLAINS OF DIZZINESS AND FOREHEAD PAIN AFTER A FALL. SHE STATES SHE TRIPPED WILE TRANSFERRING BRICKS IN HER YARD 5 DAYS AGO. SHE FELL FORWARD STRIKING HER NOSE AND FOREHEAD. NO LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. SHE REPORTS THAT THIS MORNING SHE WOKE UP FEELING DIZZY. DX: FALL; DIZZY
20YOF C/O LOWE BACK PAIN S/P PT STATES SHE WAS LIFTING SOME BRICKS EARLIER TODAY. DX: ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN
34YOF C/O FACIAL ABRASION, CLOSED HEAD INJURY AND CONTUSION TO RIGHT KNEE S/P PT STATES SHE TRIPPED WHILE EXITING A RESTAURANT, FALLING INTO THE SIDEWALK AND A BRICK AND IMPACTING HER RIGHT KNEE, FRONTAL HEAD AND FACE. DX: FACIAL ABRASION, CLOSED HEAD INJURY AND CONTUSION TO RIGHT KNEE
87YOM PRESENTS FROM HOME WITH CUT TO HAND WHILE CLEANING OUT A CHIMNEY AND CAME INTO CONTACT WITH DEAD BAT. DX: SKIN TEAR TO HAND
75YOM TRIPPED AND FELL WHILE OUTSIDE AND LANDED ON BRICK SIDEWALK. REPORTS PASSING OUT, HAS ABRASION ON THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS FACE. NO THINNERS. DX: CONTUSION OF FACE, FALL
25YOM PRESENTS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AFTER A FALL. PATIENT WAS WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK WHEN HE TRIPPED OVER A LOOSE BRICK. HE LANDED ON HIS FACE AND STRUCK HIS MOUTH. HE DID BITE HIS UPPER LIP. HE NOW REPORTS PAIN THROUGHOUT HIS JAW AND LIP. NOTED 1 MM PUNCTURE WOUND ON THE EXTERNAL ASPECT OF THE UPPER LIP. HE DOES HAVE MINOR ABRASIONS ON THE BUCCAL MUCOSA OF THE UPPER LIP. DX: ACCIDENTA FALL
4YOM WAS RUNNING INTO THE HOUSE, FELL AND HIT HIS FOREHEAD ON THE BRICK WALL. DX: INJURY OF HEAD.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to brick, stone or masonry chimneys on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are brick, stone or masonry chimneys?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, brick, stone or masonry chimneys have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 377 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from brick, stone or masonry chimneys?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 988 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from brick, stone or masonry chimneys increasing or decreasing?
Up 99% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for brick, stone or masonry chimneys injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,595 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by brick, stone or masonry chimneys?
Of all ER visits involving brick, stone or masonry chimneys, approximately 1.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with brick, stone or masonry chimneys?
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 Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 37/100 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.
