Business And Office Machines
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 Structures & Construction Materials · CPSC Code 571
Down 30% over 5 years
The verdict
Business And Office Machines carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,059 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 30% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 2,059
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 571 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for business and office machines - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume2,059 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-30%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Business And Office Machines (CPSC product code 571, in the Home Structures & Construction Materials category) generate an estimated 2,059 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 41,172 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 30% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (2,691 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (1,238 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for business and office machines is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 5,207 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (2,618 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 6,091 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 6.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 105 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how business and office machines 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 | 3,000 | 1,599 | |
| 5-14 | 1,904 | 1,283 | |
| 15-24 | 2,801 | 2,108 | |
| 25-34 | 2,377 | 3,714 | |
| 35-44 | 1,665 | 2,346 | |
| 45-54 | 1,753 | 3,018 | |
| 55-64 | 2,180 | 2,363 | |
| 65-74 | 1,833 | 2,381 | |
| 75+ | 1,362 | 3,489 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Crushing | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
76YOM REPORTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN AFTER FALLING INTO A PRINTER. DX WELLNESS CHECK
25YOM BROUGHT IN BY EMS AFTER AN INDUSTRIAL SIZE PRINTER FELL ON PATIENT'S RIGHT LEG. PATIENT HAS OPEN RIGHT TIB/FIB FRACTURE. +RIGHT HIP LACERATION, +RIGHT KNEE LACERATION. DX:CRUSH ACCIDENT; TYPE I OR II OPEN DISPLACED TRANSVERSE FRACTURE OF SHAFT OF RIGHT TIBIA.
57YOF, C/O LEFT ANKLE PAIN TRIPPED ON INK CARTRIDGE AT *** PARKING LOT, FELT POP IN LEFT ANKLE DX: LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN
57YOM STATES THAT HE HAS BEEN MOVING SOME OFFICE EQUIPMENT AROUND. HE NOTES THAT HIS RIGHT-HAND HAVING EDEMA AT THE RADIAL ASPECT OF THE WRIST. HE ALSO STATES OF HAVING TINGLING AND PAIN GOING UP THE ENTIRE ARM TO CHEST. DX: CHEST PAIN; RIGHT ARM PAIN; RIGHT MEDIAN NERVE NEUROPATHY
32YOF WAS USING HER 3D PRINTER & WAS TRYING TO GET SOMETHING OFF THE PRINTER & SHE SUSTAINED A LACERATION OF HER LEFT FOREARM, NO THINNERS DX LACERATION LEFT FOREARM
73 YOF. LEG PAIN AFTER PT WAS LIFTING A PAPER SHREDDER & DROPPED IT ONTO RT LEG. DX: CONTUSION OF LEG
41YOF PRESENTS WITH FINGER INJURY AFTER TRYING TO FIX A PRINTER JAM. DX: FINGER INJURY
68YOM HAD A SLIP AND FALL IN THE BATHROOM, TRIPPED OVER CLOTHING AND FELL STRIKING CHEST ON THE SIDE OF THE BATHTUB DX: COMPRESSION FRACTURE TO UPPER BACK
3YOF GOT INTO HER PARENTS PRINTER INK AND STARTED DRINKING SOME, POISON CONTROL WAS NOTIFIED DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION OF A TOXIC SUBSTANCE
37YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE WAS FOUND SLEEPING ON A *** CASH REGISTER. DENIES TRAUMA. BAL IS 306. DX: ALCOHOL INTOXICATION
59YOF WAS GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF HER CLOSET WHEN SHE TRIPPED OVER THE PRINTER CORD FOR HER COMPUTER LANDING ON TO RIGHT KNEE DX: RIGHT KNEE PAIN
45YOM WITH BACK PAIN AFTER HE WAS LIFTING A PRINTER YESTERDAY. THIS AM, PT COUGHED AND BEGAN TO HAVE ONSET OF SEVERE LOWER BACK PAIN. DX: T7-9 DISC BULGE; L4-5 DISC BULGE WITH NERVE COMPRESSION.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
High voltage power line to laser developed a short circuit causing sparking in machine, and ultimately destroying the power supply Additional information: The power supply is 22KV - the high voltage line shorts out onto the frame after 2 years, grounding to the metal frame, if there is an improper ground the metal parts are energized At 22,000 KV which will kill a person. Is that Not dangerous??? UPDATED ON 5/26/2023: [I received a refurbished machine from Glowforge, and they used a defective power supply and added a nylon sleeve (Not fiberglass) to it, the power supply of course shorted out, and luckily the nylon did not catch on fire. Here is a video of the sleeve they used and Photographs of the Power supply]
09/22/20130 The consumer stated that she pulled the hole puncher out of the box. The peg was designated to unlock the hole punch. The consumer stated that she pushed a peg located on the side of the hole puncher. The consumer stated that she was holding the top of the hole puncher down with her thumb. When she pushed the peg down to unlock the the product, the handle flew up and her finger got pinched in the hinge of handle. The consumer did not seek medical attention. The consumer stated that there should be some type of warning or protective covering to keep the handle from popping up when it is unlocks, or at the very least, a warning stating that the handle will fly up and a statement telling you to hold the hole puncher when pushing unlock peg. 09/25/2013 The consumer called the manufacturer and spoke to [REDACTED] Customer Service. The consumer advised [REDACTED] of the situation. The consumer stated that [REDACTED] asked her what did she want done. The consumer asked to speak to a supervisor. The consumer was advised that the supervisor was not available. The consumer stated that [REDACTED] called her back and advised her that she would recived a callback by noon. UPDATE FROM CONSUMER: It has been 3.5 months and scar till tender- middle finger of right hand. I should have gone to the ER for stitches, but we were visting child at college out of town and were getting ready to leave. I had brought him a few items he requested so I was taking them out of containers and boxes with recycling. Wanted to go home. Regret not going to get stitches it took a while to heal, but when I called she said stitches shouldn't wait 24 hours.
Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D Printer tool head malfunctioned causing the tool head enclosure to melt causing significant damage to printer and smoke damage to wall and ceiling.
The printer toner is so toxic, that there is no way to stay in the same room where the printer is. You can smell the toner while it is printing and on the newly printed documents. The toxic toner affects the respiratory system. The toner smells equivalent to what it might make your respiratory system feel like after smoking the equivalent 10 cigarettes.
I bought replacement color ink cartridges (model 952) for my Hewlett Packard 8715 printer. The packaging requires a sharp knife to remove a cartridge and I cut myself in the process. The packaging is an invitation to serious injury, many of which are undoubtedly not reported.
User plugged in the power connector of a Zebra GK420t label printer and walked away to get coffee. Upon return user saw smoke and small flames at the rear of the printer. The fire was extinguished without additional damage. The printer was removed, photographed and retained by the IT department.
My iPoint evolution electric pencil sharpener (By Westcott) began smoking from the area where the cord inserts into the base of the sharpener. This incident occurred after the cord had been removed from the base to empty the sharpener, then the cord was reinserted. After reinserting the cord the sharpener would not work and began smoking. This pencil sharpener is less than 6 months old and was purchased from Costco in Jacksonville, Florida
We were using the heat press exactly as instructed and it sparked and tried to catch on fire but an employee quickly ran over to unplug it. A team member at the manufacturing company (Ricotta) admitted there was an electric issue with the press which is why they redesigned it but then their supervisor walked all the claims back and said there was no design flaw and refused to remedy the situation. They also said the employee now denied ever telling us about the flaw. The type of product in use was a Ricoma Heat Press. An employee machinist was using the product. The product was being used as instructed to create direct to film art products. Thankfully employee was not right next to the machine but heard the super loud bang of it having an electrical malfunction and ran over to turn it off as it was sparking. Had he not been there there could have been a fire.
Showing 8 of 105 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to business and office machines on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are business and office machines?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, business and office machines have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,059 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from business and office machines?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 5,207 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from business and office machines increasing or decreasing?
Down 30% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for business and office machines injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 6,091 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by business and office machines?
Of all ER visits involving business and office machines, approximately 6.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with business and office machines?
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 Structures & Construction Materials
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 25-34 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.
