Coaxial Cable
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 567
Up 36% over 5 years
The verdict
Coaxial Cable carry a danger score of 32/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 356 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 36% over the last five years.
- 32/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 356
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 35-44
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 567 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 32/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for coaxial cable - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume356 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+36%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Coaxial Cable (CPSC product code 567, in the Home Structures & Construction Materials category) generate an estimated 356 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 6,413 ER-treated injuries across the 18-year span from 2007 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 32/100 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 36% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2008 (1,040 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2015 (111 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for coaxial cable is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 749 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (490 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,268 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 2.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how coaxial cable 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 (2007–2024)
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 | 219 | 33 | |
| 5-14 | 252 | 221 | |
| 15-24 | 419 | 173 | |
| 25-34 | 975 | 169 | |
| 35-44 | 1,144 | 124 | |
| 45-54 | 592 | 145 | |
| 55-64 | 306 | 444 | |
| 65-74 | 376 | 192 | |
| 75+ | 402 | 230 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| All Parts Body | Electric Shock | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Other | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
39YOM COMPLAINS OF LACERATIONS TO BOTH HANDS. HE WAS HOLDING CABLE WIRE WHEN IT SLIPPED THROUGH HIS HANDS AND CAUSED THE LACERATIONS. DX: LACERATION OF FINGER, LACERATION TO MULTIPLE SITES OF HANDS AND FINGERS
46 YOM WITH LOWER BACK PAIN AND NECK PAIN AFTER BEING HIT BY A CABLE 3-4 DAYS PTA. DX BILATERAL SCIATICA, NECK PAIN, DDD LUMBAR
20 YOF C/O HEAD AND SHOULDER PAIN AFTER STEEL CABLE WHEEL HIT HER TODAY WHILE HELPING HER STEP-FATHER, DX; HEAD INJURY, SHOULDER PAIN
74YOF PRESENTS FROM HOME AFTER FALL. PATIENT'S HUSBAND STATES SHE TRIPPED OVER CABLE CORD GOING ACROSS THE ROOM. DX: HUMERUS FRACTURE, PERIORBITAL CONTUSION, THORACIC BACK PAIN
7YOM TRIPPED OVER COAX CABLE AT SCHOOL AND FELL TO FLOOR DX: FRACTURE LEFT RADIUS AND ULNA
43YOM CUT HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER WHILE CUTTING CABLE. +LAC REPAIR. DX FINGER LACERATION
60YOM TRIPPED OVER A CABLE WIRE OUTSIDE AND FELL ONTO CONCRETE RESULTING IN PAIN TO HIS LEFT KNEE AND LEFT ELBOW DX: FALL, ABRASION OF LEFT KNEE AND ABRASION OF LEFT ELBOW
34YOF ABRASION TO THIGH AND ARM WHEN HELPING CABLE WORKER WITH WIRE ACROSS STREET AND CAR HIT WAIRE. WIRE WHIPPED UP HITTING PTDX ABRASION L ARM, ABRASION R AND L THIGH, CONTUSION FOREARM
30YOM REPORTS PULLING CABLE FROM CEILING WITH HAND AND WAS SHOCKED, PT STATES CABLE SPARKED IN MY HAND LIKE AN EXPLOSION, DX ELECTRICAL BURN(CHARRED) OF SKIN OF HAND
28 YOM INJURED FROM FOREIGN BODY, PUSHED CABLE INTO PENIS AND BLADDER,AT HOME. DX-FOREIGN BODY IN BLADDER AND URETHRA
29 YOF INJURED KNEE, TRIPPED OVER CABLES, LANDED FACE DOWN AT HOME. DX-FALL,A BRASION LEFT KNEE, LEFT BEFORE BEING SEEN
77 YOM-WALKING OUTSIDE WITH FRIENDS-TRIPPED OVER A CABLE-FELL FORWARD DX: FOREHEAD LACERATION & KNEE/ELBOW ABRASIONS
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The consumer indicates that he was watching a movie when all of a sudden he saw a flames behind his television. The consumer immediately turned off the power switch and the breaker box. When the consumer looked around, he noticed that the entire six-foot y audio cable was burnt, which he proceeded to disconnect from the television and computer. The consumer notes that the y audio cable ruined the rear audio jack. The consumer sent the Manufacturer a physical letter explaining the situation however he has yet to hear from them. The consumer states that the unit was used daily since it was purchased. The consumer plans on keeping his audio cable for at least the next thirty days in case an investigation ensues.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to coaxial cable on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are coaxial cable?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, coaxial cable have a danger score of 32/100 (low risk). An estimated 356 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from coaxial cable?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 749 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from coaxial cable increasing or decreasing?
Up 36% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for coaxial cable injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,268 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by coaxial cable?
Of all ER visits involving coaxial cable, approximately 2.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with coaxial cable?
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 32/100 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.
