Ice Picks
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.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging · CPSC Code 427
Down 28% over 5 years
The verdict
Ice Picks carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 279 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 28% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 279
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 427 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for ice picks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume279 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.7%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-28%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Ice Picks (CPSC product code 427, in the Containers, Tableware & Packaging category) generate an estimated 279 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 5,589 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 29/100 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 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 for ice picks 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)
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 | 84 | 5 | |
| 5-14 | 439 | 96 | |
| 15-24 | 509 | 16 | |
| 25-34 | 996 | 197 | |
| 35-44 | 226 | 263 | |
| 45-54 | 726 | 326 | |
| 55-64 | 382 | 320 | |
| 65-74 | 175 | 310 | |
| 75+ | 369 | 147 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Puncture | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Face | Puncture | |
| Lower Leg | Puncture | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Upper Leg | Puncture | |
| Lower Trunk | Puncture | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Lower Trunk | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
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.
70 YOF CUT R 5TH FINGER ON ICE PICK DX: FINGER LAC
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
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
32YOM INMATE STABBED BY ANOTHER INMATE IN PRISON WITH AN ICE PICK. DX: SCAPULA FX, SHOULDER LAC.
64YOF PT CHOPPING ICE WITH ICE PICK AND IT SLIPPED AND PENETRATED LEFT THUMB, ICE PICK REMOVED. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND THUMB.
61YOM STS WAS USING A ICE PICK TO CARVE WOOD AND PUNCTURED L THUMB DX ACUTE PUNCTURE WOUND TO TUFT OF LEFT THUMB
11 YOM WAS PLAYING WITH AN ICE PICK BUT THEN FELL AND TUMBLED AROUND. DX: SCROTAL LACERATION
19YOM WAS AT TRADE SCHOOL AND FINGER GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN AN ICE PICK AND A SLEDGE HAMMER DX FINGER NAIL AVULSION
47 YOM STAB TO ABD W/ICE PICK DX; LWBS, PUNCTURE WOUND
13YOM BROUGHT IN BY MOTHER STATING PATIENT WAS USING ICE PICK TO BREAK UP ICE AND ACCIDENTALLY CUT LEFT THUMB. DX: LEFT THUMB LACERATION
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are ice picks?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, ice picks have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 279 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
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.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 29/100 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.
