Chimneys, Not Specified
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 378
Down 10% over 5 years
The verdict
Chimneys, Not Specified carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 651 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 10% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 651
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 35-44
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 378 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for chimneys, not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume651 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-10%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Chimneys, Not Specified (CPSC product code 378, in the Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares category) generate an estimated 651 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 13,020 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 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 10% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2005 (1,063 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2010 (338 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for chimneys, not specified is anoxia to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 2,140 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the head (1,119 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,919 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 5.1% 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 chimneys, not specified 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 | 940 | 723 | |
| 5-14 | 520 | 644 | |
| 15-24 | 681 | 602 | |
| 25-34 | 1,236 | 397 | |
| 35-44 | 1,369 | 550 | |
| 45-54 | 1,311 | 351 | |
| 55-64 | 1,197 | 486 | |
| 65-74 | 915 | 371 | |
| 75+ | 584 | 141 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
38YOM PRESENTS TO ED WITH A HAND INJURY. PT STATES HE WAS USING A CHIMNEY CLEANER THAT WAS ATTACHED TO A DRILL. PT WAS WEARING A RUBBER GLOVE WHEN IT FORCEFULLY WENT AROUND THE APPARATUS. HE HAD IMMEDIATE PAIN AND TOOK HIS GLOVE OFF AND NOTED SOME BLEEDING FROM HIS FINGERS. DX: INJURY OF FINGER OF L HAND
71YOM PRESENT TO ED W/ 2D FATIGUE AFTER MULTIPLE EPISODES OF SYNCOPE.HE WAS CLEANING A CHIMNEY WENT FOR LUNCH YESTERDAY BECAME DIAPHORETIC,NEAR SYNCOPE.HR THIS AM WAS ACUTELY BRADYCARDIC.DENIES ANY BETA-BLOCKERS OR OTHER MEDICAL ISSUES.DX:SYMPTOMATIC BRADYCARDIA
77 YOM FELL OFF OF HIS ROOF WHILE CLEANING A CHIMNEY, STRUCK HIS HEAD ON THE GROUND. DX: TRAUMATIC INJURY OF HEAD.
45YOF C/O WOUND S/P THE PATIENT STATES THAT ABOUT 5 DAYS AGO SHE HIT HER RIGHT LOWER LEG ON A CHIMNEY, CAUSING A SMALL SCRATCH. THE SCRATCH HAS DEVELOPED INTO AN INFECTED WOUND. DX: CELLULITIS OF RIGHT LOWER LEG
81 YOM WAS WORKING ON HIS CHIMNEY THIS MORNING AND ACCIDENTALLY STABBED HIS LEFT HAND WITH A KNIFE. DX: LACERATION OF LEFT HAND
3YOM PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT WAS RUNNING AT HOME, TRIPPED, FELL, HITTING FACE ON CHIMNEY COMPLAINING OF EYEBROW LACERATION. DX: LACERATION OF EYEBROW, LACERATION OF EYE REGION
39YOF, WAS OUTSIDE DECORATING WITH HER CHILDREN WHEN WAS EXPOSED TO SMOKE FROM THE NEIGHBORS' FIREPLACE CHIMNEY OR FIREPIT AND DEVELOPED SEVERE SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND FELT LIKE HER THROAT WAS CLOSING, DX: SEVERE PERSISTENT ASTHMA WITH ACUTE EXACERBATION; SMOKE INHALATION
24YOM, COMING FROM HOME AFTER HE CAUGHT A SQUIRREL IN HIS CHIMNEY, HE THEN SUBSEQUENTLY GOT BIT TO THE LEFT SECOND FINGER AND THUMB, DX: ANIMAL BITE; RABIES, NEED FOR PROPHYLACTIC VACCINATION AGAINST
22YOF STATES SHE WAS CLEANING HER HOUSE AND CHIMNEY BLEW SOOT IN HER FACE, NOW COMPLAINING OF BURNING TO FACE AND NECK, SWELLING TO FACE, BLURRY VISION, DX: FACIAL CHEMICAL BURNS
13YOM WAS CARRYING A CHARCOAL CHIMNEY AT *** AND GOT SOMETHING IN EYE. DX: LT EYE PAIN
22MOF WAS PLAYING IN THE CHIMNEY AND LATER DEVELOPED RAISED PATCHES OF RASHES AROUND HER BODY. MOTHER DENIES NEW FOOD OR MEDICATIONS. WENT TO URGENT CARE WHO PROVIDED *** WHICH DID NOT HELP MUCH AND WAS SENT HERE TO THE ED. DX: ACUTE URTICARIA TO TORSO AND FACE
3YOM HIT HIS HEAD ON THE CHIMNEY DX: LEFT EYE BROW LACERATION
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to chimneys, not specified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are chimneys, not specified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, chimneys, not specified have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 651 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from chimneys, not specified?
The most common injury is anoxia to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 2,140 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from chimneys, not specified increasing or decreasing?
Down 10% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for chimneys, not specified injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,919 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by chimneys, not specified?
Of all ER visits involving chimneys, not specified, approximately 5.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with chimneys, not specified?
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 31/100 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 35-44 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.
