CPSC NEISS · code 427

Ice Picks

Ice Picks: danger rank #684 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #672 of 838 (279 estimated ER visits a year; declining by about 28% over the last five years).

Containers, Tableware & Packaging CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Ice Picks ranks #684 of 838 by danger score (29/100) at ER-volume #672 of 838 (279/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#684
danger rank of 838
#672
ER-volume rank of 838
29/100
danger score
279/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 (29/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

29 Among the lowest lower than 82% 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 · 2024

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 28/100

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) 7 56th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 279 17th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -28% 24th 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 5,583 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 427. Segments sum to 5,583 - 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 Containers, Tableware & Packaging 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.

Containers, Tableware & Packaging danger scores

1. Waste Containers, Trash B…45/1002. Knives, Not Elsewhere Cla…44/1003. Drinking Glasses, Cups, A…42/1004. Cookware, Not Specified42/1005. Manual Cleaning Equipment…41/1006. Kitchen Gadgets, Not Else…41/1007. Unpowered Coffee Makers O…41/1008. Ice Picks29/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10029/100
PlainSafety danger score · Ice Picks

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 29/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for ice picks - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 279 ER visits/yr Low volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 6.7% Above median admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
  • 5-year trend-28%

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 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for ice picks are declining by about 28% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (592 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2012 (63 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is puncture to the hand, accounting for approximately 1,449 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by puncture to the finger (633 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,193 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 6.7% 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 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how ice picks 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)

0200400600800 20052008201120142017202020232024 271
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Ice Picks, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

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

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 84 5 89
5-14 439 96 535
15-24 509 16 525
25-34 996 197 1,193
35-44 226 263 489
45-54 726 326 1,052
55-64 382 320 702
65-74 175 310 485
75+ 369 147 516

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Hand Puncture 1,449
Finger Puncture 633
Finger Laceration 435
Hand Laceration 295
Lower Trunk Other 217
Lower Arm Puncture 185
Foot Laceration 171
Face Puncture 157
Lower Leg Puncture 134
Hand Other 114
Upper Leg Puncture 108
Lower Trunk Puncture 104
Finger Avulsion 95
Lower Trunk Laceration 95
Face Laceration 88

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 93.4% (5,212)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 6.0% (334)
Left Without Being Seen 0.7% (37)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 73 · Female · Upper Leg · Puncture · 2024

73YOF PT ACCIDENTALLY STABBED ICE PICK IN KNEE WHILE USING IT TO CLEAN OUT WOOD FROM THE HEAD OF THE HAMMER. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND RIGHT THIGH.

Age 70 · Female · Finger · Laceration · 2024

70 YOF CUT R 5TH FINGER ON ICE PICK DX: FINGER LAC

Age 30 · Male · Lower Trunk · Puncture · 2024

30YOM PRESENTING TO ED AS TRAUMA CODE FOR STAB WOUND TO L FLANK. PT STATES HE ACCIDENTALLY STABBED HIMSELF WITH AN ICE PICK USED FOR PAINTING. REPORTS DRINKING ETOH TODAY BAL 128, NOT NOTED TO BE INTOX DX: STAB WOUND

Age 75 · Male · Finger · Foreign Body · 2024

75YOM WAS TRYING TO ADD A HOLE IN A PICTURE FRAME USING AN ICE PICK & THE PICK STUCK IN HIS FINGER. DX: FB FINGER, PUNCTURE FINGER

Age 32 · Male · Shoulder · Fracture · 2024

32YOM INMATE STABBED BY ANOTHER INMATE IN PRISON WITH AN ICE PICK. DX: SCAPULA FX, SHOULDER LAC.

Age 64 · Female · Finger · Puncture · 2023

64YOF PT CHOPPING ICE WITH ICE PICK AND IT SLIPPED AND PENETRATED LEFT THUMB, ICE PICK REMOVED. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND THUMB.

Age 61 · Male · Finger · Puncture · 2023

61YOM STS WAS USING A ICE PICK TO CARVE WOOD AND PUNCTURED L THUMB DX ACUTE PUNCTURE WOUND TO TUFT OF LEFT THUMB

Age 11 · Male · Pubic Region · Laceration · 2023

11 YOM WAS PLAYING WITH AN ICE PICK BUT THEN FELL AND TUMBLED AROUND. DX: SCROTAL LACERATION

Age 19 · Male · Finger · Avulsion · 2023

19YOM WAS AT TRADE SCHOOL AND FINGER GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN AN ICE PICK AND A SLEDGE HAMMER DX FINGER NAIL AVULSION

Age 47 · Male · Lower Trunk · Puncture · 2022

47 YOM STAB TO ABD W/ICE PICK DX; LWBS, PUNCTURE WOUND

Age 13 · Male · Finger · Laceration · 2022

13YOM BROUGHT IN BY MOTHER STATING PATIENT WAS USING ICE PICK TO BREAK UP ICE AND ACCIDENTALLY CUT LEFT THUMB. DX: LEFT THUMB LACERATION

Age 78 · Male · Lower Leg · Hematoma · 2022

78YOM,CHOPPING ICE WITH ICEPICK AND ACCIDENTALLY HIT LEG, DX: LEFT LEG HEMATOMA

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to ice picks on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Containers, Tableware & Packaging

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Ice Picks: cross-group products nearest on danger score (29/100), estimated annual ER visits (279/yr), and hospitalization share (6.7%). 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, Ice Picks ranks #684 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #672 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does ice picks rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, ice picks ranks #684 by PlainSafety danger score (29/100) and #672 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (279/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from ice picks?

The most common injury is puncture to the hand, accounting for approximately 1,449 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from ice picks increasing or decreasing?

Down 28% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for ice picks injuries?

The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,193 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by ice picks?

Of all ER visits involving ice picks, approximately 6.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with ice picks?

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 Ice Picks is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2024. 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.