Flatware (excl. Knives)
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.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging · CPSC Code 417
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Flatware (excl. Knives) carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 5,917 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 5,917
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 417 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for flatware (excl. knives) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume5,917 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-2%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Flatware (excl. Knives) (CPSC product code 417, in the Containers, Tableware & Packaging category) generate an estimated 5,917 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 118,345 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 roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (7,358 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (4,373 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for flatware (excl. knives) is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 24,057 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the eyeball (9,919 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 34,799 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 6.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 33 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how flatware (excl. knives) 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 | 20,482 | 14,317 | |
| 5-14 | 10,534 | 9,116 | |
| 15-24 | 6,668 | 5,633 | |
| 25-34 | 6,877 | 6,461 | |
| 35-44 | 4,936 | 5,924 | |
| 45-54 | 3,443 | 4,135 | |
| 55-64 | 2,583 | 4,861 | |
| 65-74 | 1,724 | 3,207 | |
| 75+ | 2,452 | 4,779 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Mouth | Dental Injury | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Internal Injury |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
37YOM-AT 10:30 AM HE WAS EATING LUNCH AND STATES THAT HE SWALLOWED A PLASTIC SPOON/FORK. PATIENT IS A PRISONER AND HAS A HISTORY OF SWALLOWING FOREIGN OBJECTS. PATIENT WAS TAKEN TO SURGERY FOR FB REMOVAL AND DISCHARGED BACK TO PRISON. DX: INTERNAL FOREIGN BODY
76 YOF HAS HAND PAIN AFTER STIRRING FOOD DX: PAIN
36 YOM INGESTED A SPORK HANDLE APPROXIMATELY 3-5 DAYS AGO AT JAIL. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN DIGESTIVE TRACT.
56YOF WAS HELPING HER SON OPEN UP SOME SILVERWARE THAT HAD PLASTIC WRAP AROUND IT WITH A POCKET KNIFE AND CUT HER LEFT LAND DX: LACERATION OF LEFT HAND
28YOM INGESTED PLASTIC FORK, TO ED WITH C/O OF ABD PAIN, DX SWALLOWED FB, ABD PAIN
36 YOM STATES THAT AN HOUR PRIOR TO ARRIVAL HE SWALLOWED A PLASTIC SPORK. HE DID THIS BECAUSE HE DID NOT LIKE THE AREA WHERE HE IS BEING HELD AT JAIL. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN DIGESTIVE TRACT.
32 YOF INGESTED A SPOON AT JAIL 2 HOURS AGO. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY. PT LEFT AMA.
25YOF WAS EATING FOOD AND WAS STARTLED AND CHIPPED HER TOOTH WITH A FORK DX: CLOSED FX OF TOOTH
64 YOM BENT OVER IN HIS GARAGE WHEN A 3 PRONGED FORK/ UTENSIL FELL AND HIT HIM IN THE EYE. DX: CORNEAL ABRASIONS
22MOM WAS RUNNING WITH A PLASTIC FORK IN HIS MOUTH AND HE FELL FORK POKED PALLET DX ABRASION OF SOFT PALATE
9YOF TOUCHED A FORK THAT WAS ON THE HOT GAS STOVE AT HOME WITH RIGHT HAND. DX: BURN OF HAND.
11YOM WAS REACHING FOR A SPOON WHILE HOLDING A POT OF BOILING WATER WHEN HE SPILLED THE WATER ON HIS ABDOMEN. DX: BURN OF ABDOMEN; LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Cutlery set contains brass fittings that test positive for lead. The product is sold on Amazon as "WiTisve Camping Travel Cutlery Set". I have reported this to Amazon for investigation. The product is labeled as "lead-free" and "safe"
My daughter has been using the Munchkin color reveal spoons and forks. We realized theres a lingering chemical taste no matter how many times we wash them. She also developed some speech impairments while using them. We arent totally sure they caused it, but we know her speech issues disappeared around the same time we stopped use of the product. On Targets website there are multiple reviews that state the cutlery has a chemical taste.
This flatware will eventually snap off at the plastic and break from the metal. It caused severe burns to my hand when the fork broke in half and my hand hit the plate and hot food flipped all over me.
My child's utensil had a small piece fall out. This happened with two separate items of the same type. The first time it wasn't a big deal - I noticed it right away. The second time it fell into my daughter's food. She told an adult, but I fear another kid could end up eating it or choking on it.
Tonight, I cut inside of my mouth with a brand new soup spoon with a plastic handle, bought at a kitchen specialty store, "Genevieve Lethu" at 900 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, yesterday on 8-25-11. The spoon was made in France with engraved mark which says "INDX MADE IN FRANCE". I was eating a bowl of soup with the spoon when I felt a sharp pain in my mouth. There was a cut, inside my cheek, like a cut made by razer blade - but it was the edge of the spoon made the cut. I looked at the spoon and realized that the edge of the spoon was coarse yet sharp. I intend to report the incident to the store tomorrow so that other people will not get hurt by buying and using the same type of spoon at the store. I am reporting the incident so that the store will act on this promptly and properly.
Product is designed so that with long-term use a piece of plastic comes off due to wear and tear. That piece of plastic made it into my toddler's mouth last night. He spit it out. I have concerns that another child might not.
The fork cut my hand while I was washing it. Deep cut with bleeding. It was the side of the fork metal part
Munchkin temperature color changing spoons and for taste like chemicals.
Showing 8 of 33 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to flatware (excl. knives) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are flatware (excl. knives)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, flatware (excl. knives) have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 5,917 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from flatware (excl. knives)?
The most common injury is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 24,057 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from flatware (excl. knives) increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for flatware (excl. knives) injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 34,799 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by flatware (excl. knives)?
Of all ER visits involving flatware (excl. knives), approximately 6.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with flatware (excl. knives)?
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 Containers, Tableware & Packaging
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 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.
