Hockey (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), Not Specified
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.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3272
Down 25% over 5 years
The verdict
Hockey (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), Not Specified carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 24,362 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 25% over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 24,362
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3272 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume24,362 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-25%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Hockey (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), Not Specified (CPSC product code 3272, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 24,362 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 487,245 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 declining by about 25% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (41,532 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (6,697 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 68,225 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (32,615 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 199,719 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 2.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified 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 | 2,744 | 835 | |
| 5-14 | 131,565 | 24,521 | |
| 15-24 | 180,217 | 19,419 | |
| 25-34 | 57,882 | 3,657 | |
| 35-44 | 36,363 | 1,834 | |
| 45-54 | 17,913 | 1,923 | |
| 55-64 | 5,771 | 585 | |
| 65-74 | 1,106 | 406 | |
| 75+ | 225 | 192 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Dislocation | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
14YOF PRESENT STO ED FOR CONCERN FOR PULSELESS RT LOWER EXTREMITY. PT IS A HOCKEY PLAYER AND PLAYING IN HOCKEY GAME ON SATURDAY WHEN BEGAN EXPERIENCE PAIN IN RT HIP. TRAINER WRAPPED HIP AND LEG AND CONTINUED PLAYING BUT PAIN WORSENED. SINC ETHAN EXPERIENCING PAIN/ SPASMS. DX: CONTUSION OF HIP / THIGH RT
18YOM PRESENTS TO ED FOR LEFT SIDED SCROTAL PAIN IN SETTING OF TRAUMA TODAY. AROUND 6 TONIGHT PT WAS PLAYING HOCKEY AND HIT IN TESTICLE ON LEFT SIDE OF KNEE AND ANOTHER PLAYER DURING COLLISION.DX: TESTICULAR PAIN
34 YOM REPORTS SHOULDER INJURY OCCURED WHILE PLAYING HOCKEY 20 MIN AGO. DX: GRADE 3 SEPARATION OF RIGHT SHOULDER
3 YOM WAS PLAYING HOCKEY IN THE BASEMENT WHEN HE HURT HIS LEFT ARM. HE MUST HAVE FALLEN.NOBODY IS SURE OF WHAT HAPPENED. HE IS POINTING AT THE LEFT WRIST FOR PAIN. DX: ACUTE BUCKLE FRACTURE LEFT DISTAL RADIUS
13 YOM REPORTS HE WAS PLAYING HOCKEY WHEN HE FELL ON THE BOARDS AND LANDED ON HIS LEFT SHOULDER. +HELMET. DX: FRACTURE LEFT CLAVICLE, DISLOCATION LEFT AC JOINT.
49YOM,LOWBACK PAIN AFTER PLAYING HOCKEY EARLIER,FELT POP,DX:LOWBACKPAIN
16 YOM WAS HIT IN THE WRIST BY ANOTHER PLAYER WHILE PLAYING HOCKEY. DX: AVULSION FRACTURE DISTAL RADIUS, WRIST SPRAIN
40YOF C/O UPPER ARM CONTUSION AND HEAD INJURY S/P PT STATES SHE WAS WALKING OVER HER LANDSCAPE OF ROCKS AT HOME WHEN SHE STEPPED DOWN FROM THEM ONTO HER SON'S HOCKEY STICK AND CAUSED HER TO FALL BACKWARDS. SHE HIT THE BACK OF HER HEAD AND LEFT ARM ON THE ROCKS. DX: UPPER ARM CONTUSION AND HEAD INJURY
14YOM PRESENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN AFTER A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER PLAYER DURING HOCKEY. DX: FRACTURE OF CLAVICLE
18YOM AT THE HOCKEY PRACTICE SUDDENLY DEVELOPED PALPITATIONS FOLLOWED BY CHEST PAIN, DX: CHEST PAIN UNSPECIFIED
18YOM WAS PLAYING HOCKEY AND HAD PAIN IN LT SHOULDER DX INJURY OF SHOULDER OR UPPER ARM
15YOM WAS PLAYING HOCKEY AND WAS KNEED IN THE ANTERIOR RIGHT THIGH DX RIGHT THIGH SPRAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Caller stated that his 16 year old son received injuries due to similar problems of Recall number: 15-105. Hazard: The metal wires on the cages can break, posing a facial impact or laceration hazard. Caller stated that he was hit with a hockey puck on front the mask causing 3 of the wires to break. The broken wires cut the side of his nose and his forehead. No medical attention was needed. Caller feels that the cage is unsafe and that this incident should be reported.
The Bauer profile 950/960 goalie replacement cage is causing a dangerous situation. I have replaced 3 cages in the past month with the same problem. The weld by the right eye socket is not holding up. When it is hit by a puck, the weld breaks. This can allow the puck to travel through the cage and cause serious facial injury to the goalie.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 24,362 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 68,225 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified increasing or decreasing?
Down 25% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 199,719 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified?
Of all ER visits involving hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified, approximately 2.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with hockey (activity, apparel or equipment), not specified?
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 Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
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 15-24 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.
