Buckets Or Pails
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.
Containers & Packaging · CPSC Code 1143
Down 13% over 5 years
The verdict
Buckets Or Pails carry a danger score of 39/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 14,056 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 13% over the last five years.
- 39/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 14,056
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 45-54
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1143 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 39/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for buckets or pails - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume14,056 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.1%
- Fatality rate0.01%
- 5-year trend-13%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Buckets Or Pails (CPSC product code 1143, in the Containers & Packaging category) generate an estimated 14,056 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 281,112 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 39/100 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 13% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (16,564 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (10,881 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for buckets or pails is strain, sprain to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 27,327 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the lower trunk (19,559 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 42,995 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 6.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.01%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 3 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how buckets or pails 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 | 11,922 | 9,429 | |
| 5-14 | 12,942 | 8,708 | |
| 15-24 | 12,411 | 9,857 | |
| 25-34 | 17,361 | 15,300 | |
| 35-44 | 23,534 | 14,779 | |
| 45-54 | 24,565 | 18,430 | |
| 55-64 | 21,137 | 17,918 | |
| 65-74 | 15,296 | 16,153 | |
| 75+ | 16,156 | 15,117 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
71YOF WAS WORKING OUT IN HER YARD WHEN SHE TRIPPED OVER A BUCKET AND FELL INJURING HER RIGHT WRIST DX: BRIGHT DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURE
64YOM FELL OUT OF SKID LOADER ONTO BUCKET. DX: ACUTE LEFT-SIDED LOW BACK PAIN WITH LEFT-SIDED SCIATICA.
15YOF WAS MAKING ICE CREAM WITH HER FRIENDS AND STARTED MESSING AROUND AND SEEING WHO COULD HOLD THEIR HAND IN THE BUCKET OF SALTED ICE WATER THE LONGEST SHE DID THIS THE DAY PRIOR AND TODAY NOTICES RED PATCHES THAT ARE A LITTLE TENDER ON THE LATERAL ASPECT OF HER RIGHT HAND AND SIDES OF HER FINGERS AND ON HER WRIST DX: SUPERFICIAL FROSTBITE OF RIGHT HAND
18 YOM PRESENTS WITH LOWER LIP LACERATION AFTER BEING STRUCK BY THE RECOIL OF A MOP WRINGER BUCKET AT HOME. LACERATION REPAIR PERFORMED. DX: FACIAL LACERATION.
49 YOF WAS CLEANING KITCHEN FLOOR INJURED BACK PICKING UP MOP BUCKET DX: PAIN
61YOM WAS WORKING AT HOME ON HIS BATHROOM WHEN HE TRIPPED OVER A BUCKET STRIKING HEAD ON TOILET PAPER HOLDER DX:CLOSED HEAD INJURY, ABRASION SCALLP
74YOF PATIENT REPORTS MOVING A BUCKET OF ROCK SALT WITH HER FOOT WHEN SHE FELT A POP AND THEN SOME PAIN IN THE MEDIAL LEFT KNEE DX: LEFT KNEE INJURY, INTRACTABLE PAIN
92YOF TRIPPED OVER A CLEANING BUCKET IN HER KITCHEN THIS MORNING FELL LANDING ON TO LEFT ARM DX: FRACTURED LEFT HUMERUS
29YOF HAD A FALL YESTERDAY OVER A MOP BUCKET AND FELL ONTO HER RIGHT SIDE CONTINUED PAIN IN LOWER BACK DX: ACUTE RIGHT SIDED LOWER BACK PAIN
69YOF C/O FALL AND HEAD INJURY. WENT OUTSIDE YESTERDAY TO CELEBRATE HER BIRTHDAY AND HAD A LITTLE BIT OF ALCOHOL ON BOARD. NO ETHANOL LEVEL NOTED. WENT HOME AND LEANED FORWARD TO PICK UP AN OBJECT AND LOST HER BALANCE AND FELL FACE FFORWARD HTTING A PLASTIC BUCKET WITH HER FOREHEAD. ON ***. ECCHYMOSIS TO FOREHEAD NOTED. DX: FALL, FACIAL INJURY
68YOF PRESENTS WITH RIGHT GROIN AND HIP PAIN AFTER CARRYING A BUCKET OF WATER THAT SPILLED AND THEN SHE SLIPPED IN THE WATER AND FELL TO FLOOR ONTO BUTTOCKS DX: PUBIC RAMUS FRACTURE
36YOF WITH FALL IN WHICH HER APARTMENT WAS FLOODING AND SHE WAS CARRYING A BUCKET OF WATER AND FELL WITH SHOULDER AND BACK PAIN DX: FALL
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The lip (edge around the top) cut my finger rather severely resulting in a trip to the urgent/emergency care. The pad of my ring finger was sliced and fell off - doctors were unable to sew/glue and had to use bonding "fake skin" to heal. Finger was in a cast for a week and may have little/no feeling for several weeks or months.
A child who had multiple out-of-range venous blood lead levels received an environmental home survey on 9/25/25. During the survey, the environmentalist identified a Disney Parks Vampire Stitch Halloween Popcorn Bucket, which the family reported they purchased while on a trip in Disney World in October 2024. The child had continued to consume popcorn served in this container occasionally while at home. The dust wipe from the bucket tested positive for lead dust at 11 mcg/sqft after testing positive using the Fluoro-Spec lead testing kit.
My partner bought a small bucket with 2 handles from the local Dollar Tree Store. When she got home should told me that there was a bucket in the trunk of the car. When I opened the trunk, I immediately noticed an strong odor unlike any smell that are common to cars. It caused me to have an immediate response, like my olfactory senses had been overwhelmed. I left the bucket on the front porch and went inside. I felt like I was getting a headache. After 5 minutes or so still feeling some discomfort from the encounter. The bucket was brought into the bathroom next to the bedroom. I again could smell the odor emanating from the bucket. My partner could not smell it. I went outside for fresh air while she used it. The bucket remained on porch outside, overnight. Today I checked her car trunk for the smell. None present. She had since moved the bucket to the side of the house for disposable but I have elected to report it. I went and got my phone to photograph label and scan the barcode. I moved bucket about 10' ft. to take pictures. When done, I moved bucket back to side of house. I then went and sat to use computer and I could smell an odor that was not in the room when I left. I immediately went and washed my hands. I feel currently as I type, that my taste buds and throat are having a reaction and start of headache. BP 134/87 P 103. I have a acute sense of smell so much so that I judge cooking times by smell among others.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to buckets or pails on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are buckets or pails?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, buckets or pails have a danger score of 39/100 (low risk). An estimated 14,056 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from buckets or pails?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 27,327 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from buckets or pails increasing or decreasing?
Down 13% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for buckets or pails injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 42,995 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by buckets or pails?
Of all ER visits involving buckets or pails, approximately 6.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with buckets or pails?
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 Containers & Packaging
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 39/100 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 45-54 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.
