Footstools, Ottomans Or Hassocks
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.
Floors, Walls & Ceilings · CPSC Code 4079
Down 18% over 5 years
The verdict
Footstools, Ottomans Or Hassocks carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 8,408 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 18% over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 8,408
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 8.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 4079 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for footstools, ottomans or hassocks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume8,408 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)8.1%
- Fatality rate0.01%
- 5-year trend-18%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Footstools, Ottomans Or Hassocks (CPSC product code 4079, in the Floors, Walls & Ceilings category) generate an estimated 8,408 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 168,164 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 18% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (11,992 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (4,834 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for footstools, ottomans or hassocks is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 21,548 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (14,928 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 54,537 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 8.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.01%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 11 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how footstools, ottomans or hassocks 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 | 32,291 | 22,246 | |
| 5-14 | 10,192 | 5,933 | |
| 15-24 | 1,585 | 3,554 | |
| 25-34 | 3,246 | 6,161 | |
| 35-44 | 2,841 | 5,615 | |
| 45-54 | 3,323 | 8,642 | |
| 55-64 | 3,829 | 9,861 | |
| 65-74 | 4,524 | 12,240 | |
| 75+ | 7,055 | 25,020 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2 YOF JUMPED OFF AN OTTOMEN ANED FELL IN FLOOR INJURED HER HEAD DX CONTUSION HEAD
28YOF OTTOMAN FELL ONTO FOOT. DX: PAIN OF TOE OF RIGHT FOOT.
66YOF COMES TO THE ER WITH FOOT PAIN. SHE WAS STEPPING DOWN OFF A FOOT STOOL AND HAD AN INVERSION INJURY TO THE FOOT. BRUISING ON THE LATERAL ASPECT FO THE FOOT. DX: FRACTURE FOOT METATARSAL DISPLACED CLOSED RIGHT
14MOM FELL AND STRUCK HIS HEAD ON THE OTTOMAN AT HOME. HAS LACERATION TO FOREHEAD. DX: FOREHEAD LACERATION
3YOM WITH FALL, , HIT HIS HEAD. GOT UP ON THE OTTOMAN FELL OFF AND HIT HIS HEAD. VOMITED LATER. DX: CONCUSSION, NO LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
87YOM WAS WALKING WHEN HE TRIPPED WHICH MADE HIM FALL CAUSING HIM TO LAND ON HIS LEFT SIDE STRIKING AN OTTOMAN DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF ONE RIB OF LEFT SIDE; SPLEEN HEMATOMA
49YOM PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT PICKED UP AN OTTOMAN THEN PUT IT DOWN COMPLAINING OF BACK PAIN. DX: BACK PAIN
3 YOF PLAYING AT HOME FELL HIT LIP ON FOOTSTOOL DX LIP LACERATION
86YOF C/O GENERALIZED WEAKNESS AND UPPER LEFT CHEST PAIN S/P PT ADMITS TO A RECENT FALL WHEN SHE TRIPPED OVER AN OTTOMAN AT HOME. DX: CHEST PAIN
5MOF PRESENTS AFTER A FALL FROM ON OTTOMAN ONE NIGHT PRIOR. PARENT REPORTS SHE FELL ON HER DOG AND HITTING HER HEAD. DX: FALL
58YOF HAS LEFT RIB PAIN AFTER PT TRIPPED OVER HER DOG AND FELL AND STRUCK OTTOMAN. DX: RIB CONTUSION
13YOF STUBBED TOE ON AN OTTOMAN. DX: TOE SPRAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
On 8/6, the back of my foot was lacerated on the sheet metal from this ottoman
I purchased a complete set of SONOMA Goods for Life Presidio Patio furniture about 2 months ago. During a certain time of the day the sunlight is concentrated in a window on the neighbors house. When this happens the sunlight is burning holes into the fabric of the cushion. It literally burns. I am glad I was not resting on the ottoman what it happened this week. See attached pictures. I never had this problem with seat cushions on the previous furniture. So it must be related to the type of materials used for the cushions, which are apparently not safe
I was about to sit on an ottoman to put my shoes on when I used my left foot to push the bottom to move it forward. The bottom of the ottoman has a metal band on the bottom. As I pushed the ottoman with my foot my left great toe came in contact with the metal band edge on top and caused a laceration /avulsion to the side of the left great toe, causing an injury resulting in 17 sutures to close the wound. The metal band is decorative and is made of sheet metal. It looks like it sits flush with the fabric of the ottoman.
I (the consumer) sustained an injury from an ottoman I purchased in June 2020 from Wayfair, the Fredson 14.5" Wide Velvet Round Standard Ottoman. I was using the product as intended and moved my foot down from the Ottoman when my toe made contact with the metal base which lacerated my toe. When I searched the product online to contact the manufacturer, I found that a recall had been issued for this exact product in October of 2021 and at least 6 laceration injuries have been reported. I had never been informed about the recall by the manufacturer, Meridian furniture nor by the vendor, Wayfair. I had no knowledge of the recall prior to the injury.
Purchased a bench style ottoman from Walmart online. It has an extremely disgusting chemical smell inside. I purchased it in June, and have not been able to get rid of the smell. Whenever I manage to get it to dissipate, it comes back just as strongly the next day. Ive used baking soda, vinegar, charcoal, cedar, dish soap, days in the hot summer sun, a heat gun, several full days with fans at full strength blowing air into it, and days with a high end air purifier inside it. Nothing works. The smell makes people dizzy and is clearly coming from the plywood under the fabric. Ive had other pieces of furniture with the California prop 65 warning that had a mild off gassing period for a few days or weeks, but nothing like this. It is dangerous.
Threshold Tray top ottoman purchased from Target.com Item can easily flip over when you sit on the item. Item flipped over as my child sat on it and product flipped back and caused a deep face laceration from the bottom of the ottoman. ER visited required. Extremely unstable product.
I bought 2 foot stools from T J MAXX last year & didn't use them much..I stood on one on the 14th of Dec.. & it broke & I fell & pulled something in my rt. leg...went to the emergency clinic & there was no break...I still can't walk on rt. foot. I called T J Maxx & found they had been recalled...how are we supposed to know that? [REDACTED]
The leg of a Threshold storage ottoman bought at Target and manufactured by Kinfine broke and detached from its frame causing a brutal fall and serious injury I sat on the ottoman to tie my shoes when the accident occurred. The piece was only 6 months old at the time of the incident. It was rarely used and in brand new condition. I fell face first on the floor and required 6 sutures to repair the facial laceration. I had a black eye for months and I am left with permanent disfigurement.
Showing 8 of 11 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to footstools, ottomans or hassocks on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are footstools, ottomans or hassocks?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, footstools, ottomans or hassocks have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 8,408 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from footstools, ottomans or hassocks?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 21,548 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from footstools, ottomans or hassocks increasing or decreasing?
Down 18% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for footstools, ottomans or hassocks injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 54,537 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by footstools, ottomans or hassocks?
Of all ER visits involving footstools, ottomans or hassocks, approximately 8.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (91.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with footstools, ottomans or hassocks?
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 Floors, Walls & Ceilings
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.