Electric Heaters, Not Elsewhere Classified
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 388
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Electric Heaters, Not Elsewhere Classified carry a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 1,242 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 41/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 1,242
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 10.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 388 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for electric heaters, not elsewhere classified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,242 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)10.6%
- Fatality rate0.62%
- 5-year trend-6%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Electric Heaters, Not Elsewhere Classified (CPSC product code 388, in the Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares category) generate an estimated 1,242 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 24,848 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 41/100 for this category (moderate 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 2014 (2,139 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (488 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for electric heaters, not elsewhere classified is burns, thermal to the lower leg, accounting for approximately 1,955 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the hand (1,688 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 6,065 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 10.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.62%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 101 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how electric heaters, not elsewhere classified 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 | 3,823 | 2,242 | |
| 5-14 | 1,568 | 1,435 | |
| 15-24 | 976 | 1,110 | |
| 25-34 | 1,249 | 1,375 | |
| 35-44 | 802 | 681 | |
| 45-54 | 1,397 | 778 | |
| 55-64 | 1,776 | 1,213 | |
| 65-74 | 614 | 729 | |
| 75+ | 948 | 2,140 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Burns, Thermal | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Electric Shock | |
| Upper Arm | Burns, Thermal |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
47 YOM BURNS TO HAND AND FEET FROM SPACE HEATER DX THERMAL BURNS TO HAND AND FOOT
56YOM C/O RIGHT RIB PAIN, STATES HE TRIPPED OVER A SPACE HEATER AND LANDED ON HER RIGHT SIDE. DX: CHEST WALL CONTUSION, RIB FRACTURE
32 YOM WITH HISTORY OF PARAPLEGIA PRESENTS WITH RIGHT LOWER EXTREMITY BURN 4 DAYS AGO. PATIENT REPORTS HIS LEG WAS CLOSE TO AN ELECTRIC HEATER AND AFTERWARD HE NOTICED A BURN. DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN RIGHT LOWER LEG.
90YOF PATIENT'S HOUSE WAS FLOODED A FEW DAYS AGO AND HAD HEATERS AND FANS GOING TO TRY TO DRY IT OUT, HEAT EXPOSURE DX: HEAT EXPOSURE
11YOM WITH LAC TO HAND FROM A METAL HEATER DX: LAC TO HAND
19 YOM WAS AT THE SALON SITTING IN FRONT OF AN ELECTRIC HEATER AND GETTING HIS HAIR BLOW DRIED AND BECAME OVERHEATED AND SLUMPED OUT OF HIS CHAIR TO THE FLOOR. DX: VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE
99YOF,LOWERLEG INJURY AFTER HITTING INTO A BOX FAN SPACE HEATER,AT HOME,DX:SKIN TEAR LOWER LEG
7 MOF WAS AT HOME SITTING NEXT TO THE WALL HEATER. DAD SAYS HE STEPPED AWAY BRIEFLY AND CAME BACK TO FIND HER WITH THE BACK OF HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL HEATER. DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF SCALP
50YOF C/O PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN ON LEFT FOOT AND TOES S/P PT FELL ASLEEP AT HOME WITH HER FOOT TOO CLOSE TO A SPACE HEATER. DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURNS ON LEFT FOOT AND TOES
80YOF WITH BEING HIT BY A SMALL ELECTRIC HEATER DX: CHI AND NECK PAIN
80 YOF TRIPPED OVER ELECTRIC PLUG IN HEATER FELL HIT HIP ON FLOOR DX DISLOCATION HIP
62 YOM TRIPPED OVER HEATER CORD HURT KNEE DX ACUTE KNEE PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
When testing a hot lather machine commonly sold in the USA by barber supply shops and online retailers I received an electric shock upon touching the metal components on top of the machine. The machine was turned on and part of my body was touching a counter which is connected to the utility ground via earthing. The shock was felt at the point of contact at the machine and at point of contact of the grounding point.
I was getting ready for work and I looked over at the heater. It looked lopsided. I walked over to it and I turned it off once I could see that it had melted around the frame.
Heat Surge Heater creates excessive amount of heat within the product. Plugged heater into outlet in item heat melted plug so that prongs were dislodged. Heat also damaged outlet - had electrician replace outlet and check wiring to make sure wiring not damaged. Googled product to discover sites containing of 280 complaints regarding over heating including some instances of smoking and causing a fire.
Had a wall mounted electric heater in the bathroom (installed 20 years ago). The unit had been running for about 10 minutes and it started glowing red inside. Turning it off via the thermostat dial did not shut it off. Smoke started coming out of the unit. We called 911 and the fire department came and shut it off at the circuit breaker. The unit had gotten so hot, it started to char the studs in the wall and they had started to smoke. The fire department said that if they had gotten there 5 minutes later flames would have developed in the wall. It appears that none of the protection devices inside the heater (thermal overload, etc.) worked.
Heat Storm Deluxe Mounted Space Infrared Wall Heater poses fire risk. The back of the heater melts and can start smoking. I have been lucky to have been home when this occurred and prevented building from burning down. Also- heater is supposed to have overheat protection but it does not work. This has caused me a few thousand in damage. The back of the heater often melts to the wall. I have purchased over 10 of these heaters and this has occurred with 5 of the wall mounted models (slightly different versions of the same model).
Initially purchased 3 of these units for the bedrooms in our newly purchased home. Noticed a wisp of smoke staining the wall from one of the units. Assumed it was a defect so replaced with a 4th unit. These units were less than 18 months old when a second one failed. Fortunately there was someone home to unplug the unit before our home burned down. I contacted Eco-Heater along with pictures and spoke with an "I don't give a damn" rep, [REDACTED]. All they wanted was: 1. Please provide the serial number of your heater. The serial number is located on the carton and on the rear of the switch junction box. 2. Please provide a copy of your proof of purchase. 3. Please let us know which model you have I could not provide a complete serial number since part of it was burned off. I could not immediately provide a proof of purchase as I was out of state for 4.5 months. And the model was an easy one. Within the first 3 emails, all they asked for were those 3 things above and they tried to take possession of the burnt heater in an attempt to take away the only evidence. I told them I would not be sending them the unit unless they repaired my wall. After 17 emails, they refused to repair the damage to my wall and offered to replace the 3 units instead. Why would I want to replace the units when 2 out of 4 caught on fire (1 was in the master bedroom and the other in my infants bedroom)? They gave me the run around and I can only assume they were hoping I could not provide a proof of purchase (the accountant at the business I purchased them from was kind enough to go back into their database and provide the original receipt and purchase order). They have stopped replying to my emails and my numerous requests to repair the damage to my wall (not even both, just the one that is burnt in the picture). I'm sure their customer service is great for little things. But when it comes to accountability and the well being of others, they could care less. I brought up the reques
The Culligan Waterbed heater was no longer heating our waterbed so we drained the mattress to replace the heating unit. We immediately noticed that the heater pad had overheated, melting/burning into the wooden base of the bed.
On Saturday, June 10, 2017 my husband went into the bathroom on the ground floor of our home around 9pm and found it filled with smoke. Even though the Envi wall heater appeared to be on fire, the unit was still on, as evidenced by the light on the on/off button. My husband unplugged the heater, removed it from the wall and took it outside. I came downstairs and entered the bathroom to find it filled with smoke, and black soot covering the wall near the location where the Envi heater had been installed prior to my husband removing it moments before. We opened windows and doors to air out the bathroom and monitored the bathroom and adjacent rooms to make sure the interior of the adjacent walls had not been ignited.
Showing 8 of 101 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to electric heaters, not elsewhere classified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are electric heaters, not elsewhere classified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, electric heaters, not elsewhere classified have a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 1,242 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from electric heaters, not elsewhere classified?
The most common injury is burns, thermal to the lower leg, accounting for approximately 1,955 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from electric heaters, not elsewhere classified increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for electric heaters, not elsewhere classified injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 6,065 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by electric heaters, not elsewhere classified?
Of all ER visits involving electric heaters, not elsewhere classified, approximately 10.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (89.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with electric heaters, not elsewhere classified?
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 41/100 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 0-4 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.
