Dishwashers
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 Cooking Appliances · CPSC Code 214
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Dishwashers carry a danger score of 39/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 9,949 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 39/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 9,949
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 75+
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 214 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 39/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for dishwashers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume9,949 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.4%
- Fatality rate0.04%
- 5-year trend-6%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Dishwashers (CPSC product code 214, in the Kitchen Cooking Appliances category) generate an estimated 9,949 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 198,976 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 39/100 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 roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (12,527 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (7,807 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for dishwashers is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 30,890 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the lower leg (15,851 cases). The 75+ age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 40,652 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 6.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.04%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2,505 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how dishwashers 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 | 9,443 | 6,240 | |
| 5-14 | 4,840 | 6,030 | |
| 15-24 | 7,157 | 6,935 | |
| 25-34 | 10,079 | 14,074 | |
| 35-44 | 9,874 | 13,948 | |
| 45-54 | 7,654 | 13,415 | |
| 55-64 | 6,486 | 15,998 | |
| 65-74 | 7,597 | 18,550 | |
| 75+ | 8,571 | 32,081 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Avulsion | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Leg | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Wrist | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
40 YOM PRESENTS WITH BACK AND LUMBAR PAIN. REPORTS WAS HELPING MOVE A DISHWASHER YESTERDAY AT HOME WHEN PAIN STARTED. DX: ACUTE MYOFASCIAL STRAIN OF LUMBAR REGION.
61 YOF REPORTS A MONTH AGO SHE FELL TRIPPING OVER A DISHWASHER THAT WAS OPEN AND FELL ONTO HER LEFT SIDE SHE HAS BEEN HAVING THE PAIN SINCE THEN. DX PAIN LEFT UPPER EXTREMITY, PAIN LEFT LOWER EXTREMITY
88YOF PRESENTS, AFTER A FALL IN KITCHEN, WITH AN ABRASION TO LEFT HAND ,LEFT ANKLE PAIN AND RIGHT HIP PAIN WHILE LOADING HER DISHWASHER. UNSURE IF SHE HIT HER HEAD. DENIES LOC. DX:ABRASION LEFT HAND INITIAL, PAIN LEFT ANKLE
82 YOF S/P MECHANICAL FALL THIS MORNING 1100. SHE TRIPPED OVER THE DOOR OF THE DISHWASHER CAUSING HER TO FALL TO HER LEFT SIDE HITTING HER HEAD AGAINST THE COUNTERTOP. DX CONTUSION RIGHT HIP, GROUND LEVEL FALL, CONTUSION HEAD
86YOF HAD A TRIP AND FALL LAST NIGHT TRIPPED OVER HER DISHWASHER DOOR THAT SHE FORGOT TO CLOSE AND FELL ONTO CHEST AND SIDE DX: CONTUSION OF CHEST WALL; CONTUSION OF RIGHT HIP
82YOF WAS UNLOADING HER DISHWASHER BENDING DOWN WHEN SHE LOST HER BALANCE AND FELL DX: FRACTURED LEFT WRIST FRACTURED LEFT HIP CLOSED HEAD INJURY
72YOF PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT LOST BALANCE IN THE KITCHEN WHILE UNLOADING THE DISHWASHER, FELL BACKWARD, COMPLAINING OF LEFT SIDE AND LEFT HIP PAIN. DX: PELVIC FRACTURE, HIP PAIN, FALL
15 YOM HIT LEFT KNEE ON OPEN DISHWASHER, C/O PAIN TO HIS KNEE, DX: LEFT KNEE HEMATOMA
79YOF PT FELL ASLEEP WHILE SITTING IN WHEELCHAIR, FELL FORWARD OUT OF CHAIR; HIT HEAD ON DISHWASHER DX: CHI, FALL
10YOF WITH LAC TO ANKLE, CUT ON EDGE OF DISHWASHER DX: ANKLE LAC
39 YOF +ETOH USE LAST NIGHT AND TODAY HAD A FALL AT HOME STRIKING THE BACK OF HER HEAD. SHE TRIPPED OVER HER DISHWASHER. BAC NOT DONE DX HEAD LAC, ALCOHOL INTOXICATION
64YOF WAS LOADING HER DISHWASHER AND DEVELOPED SEVERE PAIN IN LOWER BACK DX: ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN WITH SCIATICA
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Dishwasher control board relay melted an smoldered - fire risk.
Our 2012 Bosch 500 series dishwasher caught on fire while it was running. This model is not part of the Bosch power cord recall. When we opened the dishwasher door there was no indication of fire and there was some water in the bottom because the cycle had not finished. Smoke was coming out between the top of the dishwasher door and counter. We had to use a fire extinguisher to stop the fire and the smoldering would not stop until we pulled the dishwasher completely out of the house. There was a lot of smoke, and the smoke had a plastic like smell that burned our eyes. We cut power to the dishwasher with our circuit breaker before removing the dishwasher. My husband recalls that he thinks the switch to either the dishwasher or garbage disposal had tripped. Also, when we was pulling out the dishwasher, he saw sparks. The fire from the motor area burned the plastic, neighboring wires, insulation wrapping the dishwasher and part of the wooden cabinet which formed one side of the rough out. Based upon our photos, it looks like the fire started in the motor or perhaps even more likely the wires leading to it. I have photos which I sent to Bosch. My Bosch file number is [REDACTED]. Bosch did not give me any money and did not send anyone to inspect the machine. I sent photos and supplied all the information they requested. I hope Bosch takes this incident seriously because I actually really liked our Bosch dishwasher until it nearly burned down our house. I phoned Bosch several times and sent a series of emails. I received a lot of inconsistent responses from Bosch: they rejected my Sears receipt (yes I have it from Nov 2012 in its entirety) because Sears uses it's own item number and not the specific Bosch model on the receipt. Then I was told that we shouldn't have un-installed the dishwasher in order to have a technician look at it. This of course was absurd since our house was filled with smoke. I did not receive any compensation from Bosch. I did not have technici
While in use my 4 Year old Crosley dishwasher caught on fire. The fire burned holes through the inside and underneath the dishwasher until burning plastic dripped on the linoleum covered wood floor. This fire would have been catastrophic if I had not been home and awake at the time. I have pictures.
My KitchenAid dishwasher smoked and caught on fire. Model number KUDE60FXSS3 s/n F13001552 Suspect main board failed at main power connectors
Heating element in JennAir dishwasher model #JDB1095AWS went wild and wouldn't turn off, melting items overnight that were in the dishwasher. Stainless steel sink next to dishwasher was too hot to touch the morning of the incident.
Lights on diswasher lit up on their own when I opened door the panel was so hot I burnhed my hand. Was worried it would catch on fire and had to disconnect dishwasher. I feel dishwasher a fire hazzard.
kitchen filled with smoke from the Maytag dishwasher
GE Model PDW9280J10SS dishwasher heating element caught on fire during the night while family slept.
Showing 8 of 2,505 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to dishwashers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are dishwashers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, dishwashers have a danger score of 39/100 (low risk). An estimated 9,949 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from dishwashers?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 30,890 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from dishwashers increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for dishwashers injuries?
The 75+ age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 40,652 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by dishwashers?
Of all ER visits involving dishwashers, approximately 6.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with dishwashers?
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 Cooking Appliances
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 39/100 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 75+ 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.
