CPSC NEISS · code 390

Heat Tapes, Electric

Heat Tapes, Electric: danger rank #794 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #802 of 838 (64 estimated ER visits a year; declining by about 55% over the last five years).

Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares CPSC NEISS through 2023

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2007-2023, Heat Tapes, Electric ranks #794 of 838 by danger score (24/100) at ER-volume #802 of 838 (64/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#794
danger rank of 838
#802
ER-volume rank of 838
24/100
danger score
64/yr
estimated ER visits (avg)

Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.

Where this category's danger score sits nationally

Danger score (24/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

24 Among the lowest lower than 95% of 838 product categories

scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2023

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 31/100

One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.

B
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 11 78th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 64 5th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -55% 13th 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 0 0th 20% CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count

Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.

Where 767 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 390. Segments sum to 767 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.

Two danger lenses

Same-group peer scores and this product's dial

The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.

Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares danger scores

1. Coal Furnaces48/1002. Thermostats (for Heating …47/1003. Outdoor Patio Heaters Or …42/1004. Heaters Or Heating System…42/1005. Portable Gas Or Lp Heaters42/1006. Electric Heaters, Not Els…41/1007. Radiators (excluding Vehi…40/1008. Heat Tapes, Electric24/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10024/100
PlainSafety danger score · Heat Tapes, Electric

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2023

How this 24/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for heat tapes, electric - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 64 ER visits/yr Low volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 10.9% High admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
  • 5-year trend-55%

Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Across the 17-year NEISS window from 2007 to 2023, injury counts for heat tapes, electric are declining by about 55% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2019 (268 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (16 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 286 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (87 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 234 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 10.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 10 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how heat tapes, electric 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 2023-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.

Annual Injury Estimates (2007–2023)

0100200300 200720082010201220142016201720192020202120222023 55
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Heat Tapes, Electric, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2023

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 0 68 68
5-14 12 0 12
15-24 18 0 18
25-34 144 0 144
35-44 139 0 139
45-54 16 0 16
55-64 113 121 234
65-74 55 0 55
75+ 81 0 81

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Finger Laceration 286
Hand Laceration 87
Finger Other 81
All Parts Body Electric Shock 74
Face Foreign Body 68
Foot Avulsion 60
All Parts Body Anoxia 55
Ankle Strain, Sprain 18
Lower Arm Contusions, Abr. 16
Upper Arm Fracture 16
Ear Foreign Body 6

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 86.6% (664)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 12.6% (97)
Left Without Being Seen 0.8% (6)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 70 · Male · All Parts Body · Anoxia · 2023

70 YOM AWOKE TO SMOKE IN HIS HOUSE. FOUND A FIRE IN HIS GARAGE DUE TO HEAT TAPE. SUSTAINED BURNS TO RIGHT HAND AND BACK OF HEAD TRYING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. +SOOT AROUND HIS MOUTH AND NOSE, COHGB 2.0, ?FD DX SMOKE INHALATION, PARTIAL-THICKNESS BURNS

Age 25 · Male · All Parts Body · Electric Shock · 2021

25YOM PRESENTS TO ED FOR CO LT ARM PAIN ELECTRIC SHOCK PT WAS SETTING UP A SNAKE ENCLOSURE AND WAS SHOCKED CO PAIN IN LT ARM STATES WIRE WAS NOT INSULATED NEXT TO HEAT TAPE AND LT ARM TOUCHED HEAT TAPE WHILE SHEW AS STANDING ON A METAL STAND AND WAS SHOCKED DX: ELECTRIC SHOCK

Age 78 · Male · Finger · Laceration · 2019

78YOM CUT FINGER ON METAL ELECTRICAL TAPE WHILE TRYING TO HAND CURTAINS AT HOME DX FINGER LACERATION

Age 20 · Male · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2019

20 YOM WALKING ANAD TRIPPED OVER ROLL OF DUCT TAPE AND FELL INJ ANKLE DX: SPRAIN ANKLE

Age 49 · Male · Lower Arm · Contusions, Abr. · 2014

49YOM HAD A PIECE OF ELECTRICAL TAPE ATTACHED TO LOWER ARM AND PULLED IT OFF AND TOOK THE SKIN ABRASION TO FOREARM

Age 8 · Male · Finger · Laceration · 2014

8YOM- PT WAS CUTTING ELECTRICAL TAPE CUTTING LEFT PINKY.DX- LEFT PINKY FINGER LACERATION.

Age 2 · Female · Face · Foreign Body · 2012

2 YOF PUT ELECTRICAL TAPE INTO NOSE. FOREIGN BODY, NOSE.

Age 56 · Female · Finger · Laceration · 2010

DX SUPERFICIAL LAC, L INDEX FINGER: 56YOF C/O FINGER GET' CAUGHT INBLADE OF AUTOMATIC/ELEC TAPED DISPENSER; W ATTEMPT TO PUSH TAPE IN

Age 38 · Male · Foot · Avulsion · 2008

CUT FOOT ON RUSTY HEATER. DX- AVULSION L FOOT #

Age 12 · Male · Ear · Foreign Body · 2007

ELECTRICAL TAPE IN EAR. DX FB EAR

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to heat tapes, electric on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Heat Tapes, Electric: cross-group products nearest on danger score (24/100), estimated annual ER visits (64/yr), and hospitalization share (10.9%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

Read with this product

About this data

CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.

According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Heat Tapes, Electric ranks #794 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #802 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does heat tapes, electric rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, heat tapes, electric ranks #794 by PlainSafety danger score (24/100) and #802 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (64/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from heat tapes, electric?

The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 286 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from heat tapes, electric increasing or decreasing?

Down 55% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for heat tapes, electric injuries?

The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 234 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by heat tapes, electric?

Of all ER visits involving heat tapes, electric, approximately 10.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (89.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with heat tapes, electric?

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.

Data on Heat Tapes, Electric is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2023. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.