Diving Or Diving Boards
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.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1278
Down 31% over 5 years
The verdict
Diving Or Diving Boards carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 8,469 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 31% over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 8,469
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 7.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1278 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for diving or diving boards - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume8,469 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)7.7%
- Fatality rate0.15%
- 5-year trend-31%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Diving Or Diving Boards (CPSC product code 1278, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 8,469 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 169,385 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 38/100 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 31% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (11,760 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (4,711 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for diving or diving boards is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 21,047 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (11,281 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 55,303 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 7.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.15%) result in fatality.
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 diving or diving boards 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 | 1,507 | 1,473 | |
| 5-14 | 32,178 | 21,482 | |
| 15-24 | 40,433 | 14,870 | |
| 25-34 | 17,910 | 5,052 | |
| 35-44 | 13,816 | 4,017 | |
| 45-54 | 8,138 | 2,134 | |
| 55-64 | 3,251 | 998 | |
| 65-74 | 1,009 | 396 | |
| 75+ | 528 | 117 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Neck | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Neck | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Dislocation | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ear | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
6YOM C/O FALL. MOTHER STATES CHILD SLIPPED OFF THE DIVING BOARD AND HIT THE CONCRETE ON SIDE OF THE POOL. DENIES LOC. ABRASIONS TO ANTERIOR CHEST, LEFT ARM, AND ECCHYMOSIS TO FOREHEAD. ABRASIONS AND CONTUSIONS NOTED TO LEFT FACE, CHEST AND ARM. RADIOGRAPHS WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS. DX: ABRASION MULTIPLE SITES, CONTUSIONS MULTIPLE SITES
20YOM FOR EVAL OF HEAD INJ W/LAC.STRUCK HEAD ON DIVING BOARD WHILE DIVING INTO POOL FOR SWIM PRACTICE AT *** COLLEGE. NO LOC. ACCURRED ABOUT 90 MIN PTA. DX: ABRASION
7YOF C/O R EAR PAIN BEGINNING AT APPROX 7P THIS EVENING. THIS OCCURRED RIGHT AFTER SHE WAS DIVING DEEPLY INTO A 12 FOOT POOL. PT STS SHE HAD THIS ONCE BEFORE AFTER DIVING DEEPLY BUT DID NOT TELL HER MOTHER ABOUT IT THEN. DX: RIGHT EAR PAIN
8YOM JUMPED OFF DIVING BOARD AT SWIMMING POOL AND HIT HIS FACE/NOSE. DX: NASAL FRACTURE, CONTUSION TO CHEEK
14YOF PATIENT WAS AT DIVING PRACTICE 2 DAYS AGO WHEN SHE JUMPED OFF THE DIVING BOARD WHEN SHE STRUCK THE BACK OF HER HEAD ON THE BOARD AND THE WATER DX: CONCUSSSION WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
31YOM WAS AT THE BEACH DOVE INTO THE WATER STRUCK HIS RIGHT SHOULDER ON THE SANDY BOTTOM DX: DISLOCATION SHOULDER
17YOM WITH SHOULDER SPRAIN WHILE DIVING AT THE BEACH DX: SPRAINED SHOULDER
19YOF PATIENT WAS ATTENDING A COLLEGE DIVING CLINIC, SHE WAS ON THE DIVING BOARD AND FELL IN A WAY THAT CAUSED HER TO STRIKE HER FOOT ON THE DIVING BOARD. DX: CONTUSION OF FOOT
22YOF HIT HEAD WHILE DIVING INTO A POOL TWO WEEKS AGO, ABRASION TO SCALP, HEADACHE SINCE, DX: HEAD INJURY, SCALP ABRASION, NECK PAIN
22YOM, HISTORY OF LUMBAR DISC HERNIATIONS REPORTS THAT HE IS A SWIMMER AND FEW WEEKS AGO HE WAS DIVING AND BELIEVES THE PAIN HAS GOTTEN WORSE AFTER THAT DX: CHRONIC MIDLINE LOW BACK PAIN WITH BILATERAL SCIATICA
15YOM PRESENTS WITH MULTIPLE JOINT PAIN AFTER DIVING 3 TIMES DURING DIVING CERTIFICATION COURSE. FIRST DIVE WAS 40 FEET FOR 15 MINS, 38 FEET FOR 22 MINS, AND 31 FEET FOR 25 MINS. BY EVENING, PT FELT NUMBNESS IN BILATERAL LEGS AND HANDS AND FEELS VERY TIRED WITH MILD HEADACHES AND BRAIN FOG. DX: DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS
29YOF REPORTS SHE HAD RINGING IN HER EARS AND LEFT EAR PAIN AFTER PT PARTICIPATED IN CLIFF-DIVING. DX: ACUTE OTITIS EXTERNA OF LEFT EAR
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
We ordered a diving board for our outdoor, in-ground swimming pool from BackyardPoolSuperstore via Amazon. One of the color choices for the board is grey, and this is the color we ordered. We ordered this after our pool was closed for the season, so it was not used until the following season which was about a week ago. Upon installation, we had friends over to swim. This was the first time the new board was in use. One friend went to use the diving board and immediately yelled out "HOT!!!" and jumped off quickly. He said the diving board burned his feet. I went to investigate, and the board was extremely hot. I used an infrared thermometer, and on cloudy days the board's temperature ranges anywhere from 130 degrees - 150 degrees F. On sunny days, it registering 200 degrees F. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), "Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150 degree water for two seconds. Burns will also occur with a six-second exposure to 140 degree water or with a thirty second exposure to 130 degree water." Therefore, this product CAN and WILL cause 3rd degree burns.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to diving or diving boards on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are diving or diving boards?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, diving or diving boards have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 8,469 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from diving or diving boards?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 21,047 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from diving or diving boards increasing or decreasing?
Down 31% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for diving or diving boards injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 55,303 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by diving or diving boards?
Of all ER visits involving diving or diving boards, approximately 7.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (92.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with diving or diving boards?
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 Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 38/100 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 15-24 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.
