Chains, Not Elsewhere Classified
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 Communication & Entertainment · CPSC Code 885
Down 35% over 5 years
The verdict
Chains, Not Elsewhere Classified carry a danger score of 34/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 3,726 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 35% over the last five years.
- 34/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 3,726
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 885 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 34/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for chains, not elsewhere classified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume3,726 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.9%
- Fatality rate0.03%
- 5-year trend-35%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Chains, Not Elsewhere Classified (CPSC product code 885, in the Home Communication & Entertainment category) generate an estimated 3,726 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 74,520 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 34/100 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 35% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2008 (6,145 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (1,766 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for chains, not elsewhere classified is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 7,990 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (3,701 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 10,955 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 5.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.03%) result in fatality.
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 chains, not elsewhere classified 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 | 1,796 | 557 | |
| 5-14 | 7,824 | 3,131 | |
| 15-24 | 8,288 | 2,374 | |
| 25-34 | 8,515 | 2,428 | |
| 35-44 | 8,352 | 2,482 | |
| 45-54 | 7,872 | 2,983 | |
| 55-64 | 6,300 | 2,179 | |
| 65-74 | 4,371 | 1,332 | |
| 75+ | 2,550 | 1,045 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
45 YOM WAS LIFTING A HEAVY TOW TRUCK CHAIN 2 DAYS AGO AND TWISTED RT WRIST IN THE PROCESS, HAS PAIN IN WRIST SINCE THEN. DX: WRIST SPRAIN
36 YOM DOG WRAPPED CHAIN AROUND LEG C/O FOOT PAIN DX CLOSED FOOT FX
26YOM STS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE SOMETHING & HIT ON HEAD WITH A CHAIN THAT BROKE DX SCALP LACERATION HEAD INJURY
32YOM BROUGHT IN BY EMS AFTER ATTEMPTING TO ATTACH TRUCK TO TOW WHEN A CABLE SNAPPED STRIKING PATIENT IN THE FACE. EMS REPORTS RIGHT EYE DEFORMITY. DX:RIGHT EYE INJURY; OPEN LEFORT III FRACTURE; RUPTURED GLOBE OF RIGHT EYE; OPEN FRACTURE OF ORBIT.
^47YOM PATIENT STATES HE WAS TRYING TO GET THE CHAINS AND STRAPS OFF HIS TRUCK WHEN HE WAS USING A RELEASE BAR AND THE PRESSURE OF THE CHAINS HIT HIM IN THE FOREHEAD DX: CONCUSSION WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, ABRASION OF HEAD, NAUSEA, VISION CHANGES
77YOM STATES HE WAS AT *** HARDWARE STORE, WHEN HIS FOOT GOT CAUGHT ON A CHAIN. HE SUBSEQUENTLY TRIPPED AND FELL WITH HIS LEFT ARM EXTENDED ABOVE HIM AND LANDED ON HIS LEFT RIBS WHICH IS WHERE HE FEELS PAIN. DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF MULTIPLE RIBS
44YOM TO ER FOR LACERATION OF RIGHT HAND, PTS HAND GOT STUCK ON CHAIN 3 HRS AGO & IT CAUSED LACERATION DX LACERATION RIGHT HAND W/O FOREIGN BODY
9 YOM TRIPPED AND FELL OVER A CHAIN ON THE POOL DECK HITTING HIS FOREHEAD, C/O LOCALIZED PAIN TO FOREHEAD, DX: ACUTE HEAD INJURY, FOREHEAD CONTUSION
60YOM PRESENTS TO ED AFTER MECHANICAL FALL W/ CHIEF COMPLAINT L SHOULDER PAIN. PT STATES HE WAS AT A LOCAL FOOD STORE WHEN HE TRIPPED OVER A CHAIN ON THE FLOOR. DX: FALL
67 YOM WAS TRYING TO PUT CHAINS ON HIS TIRE WHILE DRIVING UP THE PASS 2 DAYS AGO. HE WAS NOT WEARING GLOVES AND HAS HAD SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HAND PAIN. HE ULTIMATELY WENT SKIING THAT DAY WITH GLOVES ON AND HAS WORSENING PAIN. DX: FROST BITE OF BOTH HANDS
11 YOM. HEAD & FACIAL INJURY AFTER PT TRIPPED & FELL OVER A CHAIN STRIKING HIS FACE DOWN ONTO CONCRETE PAVEMENT. DX: CONCUSSION W/O LOC; CLOSED FX OF NASAL BONE
2YOM GOT RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER CAUGHT IN A CHAIN DX: LACERATION FINGER
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to chains, not elsewhere classified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are chains, not elsewhere classified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, chains, not elsewhere classified have a danger score of 34/100 (low risk). An estimated 3,726 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from chains, not elsewhere classified?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 7,990 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from chains, not elsewhere classified increasing or decreasing?
Down 35% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for chains, not elsewhere classified injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 10,955 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by chains, not elsewhere classified?
Of all ER visits involving chains, not elsewhere classified, approximately 5.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with chains, not elsewhere classified?
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 Communication & Entertainment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 34/100 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.
