Hatchets Or Axes
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.
Lawn & Garden Equipment · CPSC Code 1426
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Hatchets Or Axes carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 11,876 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 11,876
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1426 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for hatchets or axes - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume11,876 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.5%
- Fatality rate0.03%
- 5-year trend-7%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Hatchets Or Axes (CPSC product code 1426, in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category) generate an estimated 11,876 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 237,514 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 37/100 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 2014 (14,550 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (9,997 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for hatchets or axes is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 65,704 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (23,751 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 52,233 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 2.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.03%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 8 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how hatchets or axes 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 | 1,397 | 229 | |
| 5-14 | 24,310 | 3,909 | |
| 15-24 | 41,318 | 3,808 | |
| 25-34 | 45,624 | 6,553 | |
| 35-44 | 34,089 | 5,634 | |
| 45-54 | 27,419 | 5,196 | |
| 55-64 | 19,269 | 2,421 | |
| 65-74 | 10,214 | 1,159 | |
| 75+ | 4,327 | 572 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Knee | Laceration | |
| Toe | Laceration | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
74YOM COMES TO THE ER WITH A FINGER LACERATION. HE STATES HE WAS SPLITTING WOOD WITH A HATCHET, WITHOUT GLOVES ON, WHEN THE HATCHET SLIPPED AND HIT HIS HAND. HE SUFFERED A LACERATION OF THE LEFT INDEX FINGER. DX: LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT INDEX FINGER WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL
17YOM COMPLAINS OF LACERATION TO LEFT INDEX FINGER. HE WAS USING AN AXE WHEN HE SUSTAINED LACERATION. DX: LACERATION OF FINGER
51YOM WITH TOE AMPUTATION WAS USING AN AX TO CUT FIREWOOD AMPUTATED THE LEFT MIDDLE TOE. DX LEFT TOE AMPUTEE
66YOM WITH RIGHT SHOULDER PAIN, HAS BEEN SPLITTING WOOD USING AN AX.DX: RIGHT SHOULDER STRAIN.
16 YOM CUTTING WOOD WITH AXE, HANDLE BOUNCED BACK HITTING HAND DX HAND PAIN
61 YOM INJURED THUMB WHILE USING A HATCHET DX LACERATION THUMB
72YOM BROUGHT IN BY EMS FROM HOME FOR GROUND LEVEL FALL. REPORTS CHOPPING WOOD OUTSIDE ALL DAY ON HIS FARM, WHEN HE NEEDED TO HAVE A BM, ENTERED THE HOUSE, BECAME DIZZY AND LOWERED HIMSELF TO THE GROUND. DENIES HITTING HIS HEAD OR LOC. DX: NEAR SYNCOPE, HYPONATREMIA
21YOM WAS CHOPPING WOOD WITH AN AXE THIS EVENING WHEN THE AXE SLIPPED AND HE STRUCK HIMSELF IN THE RIGHT FOOT DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT FOOT; LACERATION OF TENDON OF RIGHT FOOT
30YOF REPORTS SHE WAS OUT WITH FRIENDS, AXE THROWING WHEN SHE LOST HER BALANCE AND FELL INJURING HER WRIST. DX DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURE
64YOM, C/O LACERATION RIGHT ANTERIOR LOWER LEG, ACCIDENTALLY CUT HIMSELF W/ AXE WHILE CHOPPING WOOD DX: RIGHT LEG PAIN, RIGHT LEG LACERATION
36YOM C/O FINGER LACERATION. DROPPED A NEWLY SHARPENED AX. SCANS SHOW TUFT FRACTURE. DX: LACERATION OF LEFT INDEX FINGER WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY WITH DAMAGE TO NAIL, OPEN FRACTURE OF TUFT OF DISTAL PHALANX OF FINGER
33YOM TO ER FOR EVAL OF RIGHT SIDED CHEST PAIN, PT SAYS WAS CHOPPING WOOD WHEN PT SAYS FELT CHEST PAIN COME ON, PAIN RADIATES DOWN RIGHT ARM DX CHEST PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I was injured by a tool called a Silky Nata. This tool is sold with a scabbard that is unsafe. I was cut while attempting to remove the scabbard from my belt using the scabbards quick release buckle feature. The tool came out of its scabbard unexpectedly. The Nata scabbard quick release buckle is designed in such a way that if it is operated while the Nata handle is secured within the retention strap, a hazardous condition results. The secured retention snap results in the Nata being attached to the wearers belt. If the scabbard quick release is operated while the Nata handle is secured with the retention snap, the Nata is drawn out of the scabbard as the lower section of the scabbard separates from the upper section. I sustained a severe laceration to my hand that severed two tendons. This injury has required two surgeries to correct.
Using a splitting maul purchased at Harbor Freight new earlier in the day, I had taken one swing without issue. On the second swing the 8 lbs. head on the splitting maul broke off of the shaft.
Kobalt Hatchet - purchased at Lowe's April 23, 2011. Used hatchet immediately after purchase to chop shrub roots. After 30-40 swings the head detached from the handle and landed several feet away. Fortunately I was not struck and no one else was nearby.
Purchased an ozark trail brand hatchet from Wal Mart. With less than an hour of use the blade flew off the handle. Blade appears to have been glued, not welded to the handle. Fortunately no one was hit by the blade hit it certainly could have caused serious injuries.
Cutting fallen cedar trees into manageable logs with the Fiskars X17 ax, the join of the head and handle of the ax came apart.
I purchased a hart brand hatchet wedge hybrid that was advertised as forged steel and when used as a wedge and struck with a small handheld sledge it shattered pieces off so quickly and sharp that a piece despite being only 2mm around went several inches into my calf causing blood loss around a cup every 15-30 seconds resulting in having to tourniquet the leg and go to the hospital if it was forged steel as it claims it would have simply deformed long before it shattered as dangerously as it did unless in extreme temps and if it hadnt claimed to be forged steel one I never would of purchased but also I would have known that it was cast metal as it behaves like then I would have known that striking it with a hammer wouldnt be safe to begin with
During the first day of use of the Home depot Rock Forge Maul with fiberglass handle the plastic sealing material at the top of the axe disintegrated when using the maul to strike a wedge when splitting wood. This product has a integral design flaw where normal axes would provide increased friction as the steel head tries to move outward from a wooden handle with a wedge driven into it. The Rock Forge maul friction that keeps the unit together decreases as the force of the head moves away from the position it started in. The major concern with this product is that it has been seen that separation occurs with no visible signs of damage. Fortunately in this instance no injuries resulted, however it was very obvious that a near miss with the head separated could result in serious injury/death if the head flew into ones leg.
My husband was chopping some firewood and the handle broke and injuring his foot.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to hatchets or axes on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are hatchets or axes?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, hatchets or axes have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 11,876 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from hatchets or axes?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 65,704 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from hatchets or axes increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for hatchets or axes injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 52,233 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by hatchets or axes?
Of all ER visits involving hatchets or axes, approximately 2.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with hatchets or axes?
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 Lawn & Garden Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 37/100 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 25-34 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.
