Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Laundry Baskets ranks #213 of 838 by danger score (39/100) at ER-volume #150 of 838 (15,448/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #213
- danger rank of 838
- #150
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 39/100
- danger score
- 15,448/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 (39/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
39 Around the middle lower than 25% 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: 54/100
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.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 6 | 53rd | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 15,448 | 78th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -18% | 39th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 3 | 28th | 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 308,964 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 438. Segments sum to 308,964 - 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
How this 39/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for laundry baskets - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 15,448 ER visits/yr High volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 6.0% Above median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.03% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trend-18%
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 laundry baskets are declining by about 18% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (20,487 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (11,518 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is strain, sprain to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 43,075 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the lower trunk (32,520 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 55,648 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 6.0% 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 3 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how laundry baskets 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 Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 12,879 | 9,916 | |
| 5-14 | 7,812 | 8,727 | |
| 15-24 | 5,687 | 19,143 | |
| 25-34 | 11,792 | 43,856 | |
| 35-44 | 10,985 | 39,419 | |
| 45-54 | 9,607 | 34,592 | |
| 55-64 | 8,101 | 27,038 | |
| 65-74 | 5,690 | 18,739 | |
| 75+ | 7,307 | 27,606 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Nerve Damage | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
45YOF PRESENTS TO ED FOR LEFT SHOUDLE RPAIN. PT WAS POURING OUT A BASKET OF LAUNDRY INTO LARGER BASKET OF LAUNDRY AND HAD SUDDEN PAIN IN LEFT SHOULDER. DX: ACUTE PAIN OF LEFT SHOULDER
80YOF-SHE REPORTS THAT SHE TRIPPED OVER A LAUNDRY BASKET AT HOME FALLING ONTO THE CARPET AND THE END OF THE BED. DX: CONTUSION OF RIGHT SHOULDER
25YOF STATES THAT TWO DAYS AGO SHE ACCIDENTALLY KICKED A LAUNDRY BASKET AND HURT HERSELF. DX: TOE CONTUSION
86 YOF PRESENTS WITH THORACIC SPINE FRACTURE S/P LIFTING A LAUNDRY BASKET AND LOADING CLOTHES INTO THE WASHING MACHINE AT HOME. DX: COMPRESSION FRACTURE OF THORACIC SPINE
91 YOF C/O BUTTOCK PAIN S/P WAS DRAGGING A LAUNDRY BASKET BEHIND HER WHILE USING HER WALKER AT HOME AND FELL TO CARPET. DX: BUTTOCK PAIN
69YOM PATIENT RESIDES AT A LOCAL ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, FELL IN A LAUNDRY BASKET, NO INJURIES REPORTED DX: SEVERE DEMENTIA, FALL
48YOF WITH PAIN WHILE HOLDING LAUNDRY BASKET AND TRYING TO OPEN A DOOR DX: NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN
55YOM C/O SHOULDER PAIN S/P PT STATES HE LIFTED UP A LAUNDRY BASKET AND IS IN PAIN. DX: SHOULDER PAIN
19MOM WAS CLIMBING ON A LAUNDRY BASKET AND FELL OFF NOW WILL NOT BEND LEFT ELBOW DX NURSEMAIDS ELBOW
81YOM, ON *** FOR AFIB TRIPPED OVER LAUNDRY BASKET AND FELL STRIKING HEAD AND KNEE, EXAM UNREMARKABLE FOR INJURIES, DENIES LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND COMPLAINING MAINLY OF LEFT KNEE PAIN, DX: TRAUMATIC INJURY OF HEAD; ACUTE PAIN OF LEFT KNEE
30 YOF WAS CARRYING A LAUNDRY BASKET UP STAIRS WHE SHE TRIPPED AND FELL. DX: CHEST WALL STRAIN
43YOF WAS CARRYING LAUNDRY DOWN THE STAIRS AND MISSED THE LAST TWO STAIRS AND INVERTED HER ANKLE LANDING ON TOP OF IT DX: LT ANKLE SPRAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I was cleaning a Sterilite laundry basket (Ultra 1.5 bu)....there are holes on all sides of the basket, and some of them have sharp edges....I received a cut from cleaning this basket.
The consumer stated that her 4 years old son was sleep, woke up at approximately 1am and walked into his room. The consumer stated that her son got into her bed and fell asleep on the edge. The consumer stated that she was sleep and unaware that her son was in the bed. The consumer stated that she woke up to her son screaming and he was standing up crying. The consumer stated that he told her that he fell off the bed. The consumer stated that he was shaking and he told her that his belly hurt. The consumer stated that she noticed blood on sheets and she turned her son over and noticed a puncture wound on his left side above his hip. The consumer stated that she noticed the basket on the side of the bed with a visible rounded metal rode coming out of basket. The consumer stated that it looked like the plastic woven material had collapsed around the metal frame. The consumer stated that she drove her son to the Maria Fareri childrens Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. She stated that they took him to the pediatric trauma center and they did chest x-rays, and a CAT scan with oral IV and rectal tracing to see if he was internally bleeding. The consumer stated that the test reveal blood and air in the abdomen. The consumer stated that he had to have emergency laparoscopy surgery and the surgery showed that the metal rode puncture 8 into the abdomen almost coming out on the right side of his belly. The rode did not puncture any internal organ, it caused bruising to the pancreas and the liver and they removed hematomas from the abdomen. The consumer stated that he was in the hospital for 5 days and she needs to follow up in 2 weeks with the surgeon. The consumer stated that at the moment he was on bed rest. The consumer stated that the metal rode had a wax coating that made it easier for it to sly out of his side from him. The consumer stated that she contacted the manufacturer and she informed them of the incident. She stated th
I purchased a couple of laundry baskets from the dollar tree is Salem Oregon.. my 2 year old son was dancing around and when he went to the side he brushed his hand along side one of the baskets and it sliced his skin off one finger and cut another finger...
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to laundry baskets on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Laundry Baskets: cross-group products nearest on danger score (39/100), estimated annual ER visits (15,448/yr), and hospitalization share (6.0%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
- Lacrosse (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) Sports & Recreation Equipment 15,451/yr
- Saws, Not Specified Home Communication & Entertainment 15,435/yr
- Garage Doors (excl. Automatic Garage Doors Or Openers) Building Materials & Home Structures 15,362/yr
- Garden Hoses, Nozzles Or Sprinklers Lawn & Garden Equipment 15,625/yr
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
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, Laundry Baskets ranks #213 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #150 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does laundry baskets rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, laundry baskets ranks #213 by PlainSafety danger score (39/100) and #150 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (15,448/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from laundry baskets?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 43,075 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from laundry baskets increasing or decreasing?
Down 18% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for laundry baskets injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 55,648 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by laundry baskets?
Of all ER visits involving laundry baskets, approximately 6.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with laundry baskets?
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.
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.