CPSC NEISS · code 1417

Decorative Yard Equipment

Decorative Yard Equipment: danger rank #370 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #364 of 838 (13,930 estimated ER visits a year; stable over the most recent five-year window).

Lawn & Garden Equipment CPSC NEISS through 2008

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2008, Decorative Yard Equipment ranks #370 of 838 by danger score (36/100) at ER-volume #364 of 838 (13,930/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#370
danger rank of 838
#364
ER-volume rank of 838
36/100
danger score
13,930/yr
estimated ER visits (avg)

Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.

Where this category's danger score sits nationally

Danger score (36/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

36 Around the middle lower than 44% of 838 product categories

scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2008

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 51/100

One verdict blending 3 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.

C
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 7 58th 41% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 13,930 77th 35% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend N/A N/A redistributed CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 0 0th 24% CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count

5-year injury trend has no recorded value for this category; its weight was redistributed proportionally across the dimensions that do, rather than treated as zero risk.

Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.

Where 55,710 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1417. Segments sum to 55,710 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.

Two danger lenses

Same-group peer scores and this product's dial

The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Lawn & Garden Equipment group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.

Lawn & Garden Equipment danger scores

1. Lawn Mowers, Not Specified47/1002. Riding Power Lawn Mowers44/1003. Manual Snow Or Ice Remova…44/1004. Snow Throwers, Blowers44/1005. Decorative Yard Equipment…43/1006. Garden Hoses, Nozzles Or …42/1007. Pruning Or Trimming Equip…41/1008. Decorative Yard Equipment36/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10036/100
PlainSafety danger score · Decorative Yard Equipment

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2008

How this 36/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for decorative yard equipment - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 13,930 ER visits/yr High volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 6.6% Above median admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.03% Above-typical fatality rate
  • 5-year trendN/A

Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Across the 4-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2008, injury counts for decorative yard equipment are stable over the most recent five-year window, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (15,833 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (11,928 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,125 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (2,886 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 10,311 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 6.6% 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 decorative yard equipment 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 2008-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.

Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2008)

11K12K13K14K15K16K17K 2005200620072008 13K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Decorative Yard Equipment, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2008

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 2,752 1,621 4,373
5-14 6,578 3,733 10,311
15-24 5,626 2,099 7,725
25-34 2,870 2,421 5,291
35-44 2,914 2,556 5,470
45-54 3,195 3,135 6,330
55-64 1,971 2,248 4,219
65-74 1,738 2,933 4,671
75+ 3,045 4,287 7,332

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Face Laceration 5,125
Head Internal Injury 2,886
Head Laceration 2,513
Finger Laceration 2,354
Hand Laceration 2,193
Lower Trunk Strain, Sprain 2,122
Ankle Strain, Sprain 2,118
Hand Contusions, Abr. 1,576
Face Contusions, Abr. 1,455
Hand Fracture 1,178
Lower Trunk Fracture 1,083
Wrist Fracture 1,080
Foot Contusions, Abr. 1,056
Lower Trunk Contusions, Abr. 1,004
Finger Fracture 995

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 91.9% (51,222)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 5.8% (3,208)
Treated And Transferred 0.9% (487)
Left Without Being Seen 0.7% (392)
Held For Observation 0.7% (370)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (16)
Unknown, Not Stated 0.0% (15)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 20 · Female · Finger · Laceration · 2008

CUT TO FINGER ON MAIL BOX DX: FINGER LACERATION

Age 66 · Female · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2008

PT SLIPPED WHILE OPENING MAILBOX AND SPRAINED ANKLE

Age 62 · Female · Wrist · Contusions, Abr. · 2008

PT C/O HURT WRIST CLOSING MAILBOX. DX CONT LFT WRIST.

Age 33 · Female · Lower Trunk · Other · 2008

PT WITH SEVERE LOWER BACK PAIN AFTER MOVING YARD DECOR

Age 27 · Female · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2008

PT NWAS WALKING BACK FROM THE MAILBOX AND FOOT SLIPPED OFF A DECORATIVEPAVER STRAINED ANKLE

Age 6 · Male · Head · Laceration · 2008

PT PLAYING FOOTBALL AT HOME BEING THROWN THE BALL AND RAN INTO A MAILBX SUSTAINED A LACERATION TO SCALP

Age 77 · Male · All Parts Body · Other · 2008

PATIENT WAS FILLING THE BIRD FEEDERS WITH BIRD SEED; SUDDENLY DEVELOPEDCOUGH AND TRANSIENT CHOKING SPELL. COUGH; TRANSIENT CHOKING.

Age 49 · Female · Shoulder · Other · 2008

HELPED SPOUSE TO MIOVE A STONE FOUNTAINPAIN RIGHT SHOULDER JOINT

Age 12 · Female · Elbow · Contusions, Abr. · 2008

12YOF WAS SITTING ON A LARGE MAILBOX,SLIPPED OFF FALLING APPROXIMATELYFOUR FEET;ELBOW CONTUSION

Age 10 · Male · Foot · Fracture · 2008

10YOM WAS SLED RIDING AT HOME,RAN INTO THE MAILBOX,FEET FIRST;FOOT FRACTURE

Age 42 · Male · Lower Trunk · Strain, Sprain · 2008

PT WAS INTOXICATED BAC 313 AND FELL INTO A FOUNTAIN STRAINED LOWER BACK

Age 94 · Female · Shoulder · Fracture · 2008

ON *** FELL TODAY WHIEL AMBULATING TO MAILBOX, LANDED ONTO SHOULDER>> HUMRUS FX/ELEVATED INR

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to decorative yard equipment on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Lawn & Garden Equipment

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Decorative Yard Equipment: cross-group products nearest on danger score (36/100), estimated annual ER visits (13,930/yr), and hospitalization share (6.6%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

Read with this product

About this data

CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.

According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Decorative Yard Equipment ranks #370 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #364 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does decorative yard equipment rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, decorative yard equipment ranks #370 by PlainSafety danger score (36/100) and #364 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (13,930/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from decorative yard equipment?

The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,125 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from decorative yard equipment increasing or decreasing?

No trend data.

Who is most at risk for decorative yard equipment injuries?

The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 10,311 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by decorative yard equipment?

Of all ER visits involving decorative yard equipment, 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 decorative yard equipment?

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.

Data on Decorative Yard Equipment is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2008. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.