Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Lawn Trimmers Or Edgers, Powered (excl. Brushcutters) ranks #256 of 838 by danger score (38/100) at ER-volume #178 of 838 (12,753/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #256
- danger rank of 838
- #178
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 38/100
- danger score
- 12,753/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 (38/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
38 Around the middle lower than 30% 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: 61/100
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) | 5 | 39th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 12,753 | 76th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -13% | 47th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 141 | 88th | 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 255,054 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1464. Segments sum to 255,054 - 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 Lawn & Garden Equipment 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.
Lawn & Garden Equipment danger scores
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 12,753 ER visits/yr High volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 4.2% Below median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.05% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trend-13%
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 lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) are declining by about 13% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (17,197 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (8,326 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 40,426 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the finger (20,268 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 46,001 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 4.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.05%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 141 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) 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 | 726 | 337 | |
| 5-14 | 4,455 | 962 | |
| 15-24 | 23,007 | 3,315 | |
| 25-34 | 31,936 | 7,211 | |
| 35-44 | 34,943 | 10,465 | |
| 45-54 | 34,805 | 11,196 | |
| 55-64 | 32,435 | 9,965 | |
| 65-74 | 20,727 | 8,037 | |
| 75+ | 14,722 | 5,754 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Other | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
26YOF WAS USING *** WHEN SHE TRIPPED OVER A TREE BRANCH AND LANDED ON HER LEFT FOOT AND ANKLE. HEAR A POP AND HAS PAIN. DX: SPRAIN OF LEFT FOOT, LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN
81 YOF USING *** YESTERDAY, THUMB NOW BRUISED AND PAINFUL. DX THUMB CONTUSION
51YOF WAS USING A LAWN TRIMMER THINKS SHE GOT TOO HOT. FELT COLD, HOT, THEN STARTED VOMITING.DX: SEVERE HEAT EXHAUSTION.
53YOM PRESENTS WITH RIGHT UPPER BACK/RIB PAIN AFTER ***IN THE YARD. DX: BACK PAIN AND RIB PAIN
54YOM C/O EYE PROBLEM. EYE PAIN AND REDNESS OCCURRED WHILE USING A ***. WAS NOT WEARING SAFETY GLASSES AND FELT SOMETHING GO INTO EYE. NOW WITH FOREIGN BODY SENSATION. EXAMINATION REVEALS NO FB. DX: OCULAR PAIN, LEFT EYE
58 YOM WAS USING A *** AT HOME SLIPPED AND FELL INJURED ANKLE DX SPRAINED ANKLE
73YOM WAS IN HIS YARD USING A *** WHEN HE GOT SOME DIRT IN EYE DX:FOREIGN BODY EYE
70YOM C/O LEFT EYE PAIN. WAS *** TODAY AND FELT SOMETHING FLY INTO HIS LEFT EYE. PAIN IN THE LEFT EYE AND BLURRY VISION SINCE THEN. DX: ABRASION OF LEFT CORNEA
54 YOM CHEST PAIN, SOB WHILE *** DX; CHEST PAIN
48 YOM *** HIS GRASS AND SOMETHING HIT HIM IN L ANKLE DX; ANKLE LAC
67YOF STATES THAT SHE WAS DOING YARD WORK AND *** EARLIER TODAY WHEN SHE DEVELOPED PAIN IN HER EYE AND FELT SOMETHING GO INTO HER EYE DX: FOREIGN BODY OF RIGHT EYE; ABRASION OF RIGHT CORNEA
48YOF WAS USING A *** AT HOME AND GOT FOREIGN OBJECT IN LEFT EYE DX:FOREIGN BODY EYE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I just started using a new string trimmer tonight. I was repeatedly struck in the face by flying grass, and believe it has to do with the deflector not covering as much area as other units.
My wife was using the Black & Decker trimmer LST140C and pieces of line were being automatically fed at the wrong time and being cut off and striking her in the legs. It has happened 4 different times and leaves up to 1 inch cuts on her legs. I have complained to Black & Decker twice but they just offer a new product. The last 2 that we have used have done the exact same thing. They want to keep sending me new ones instead of addressing a very serious and dangerous problem with their auto feed system.
I have been using a Black & Decker GH1000 string trimmer for a couple of years.On numerous occasions it has damaged objects close to the vegetation being trimmed due to the string releasing unexpectedly. the damage is caused by both the sudden increase in the length of the string and the pieces of string cut off by the trimmer blade. This happens when I am actually trimming or if the head is raise to re-position, in both the horizontal and vertical positions. I have received numerous small cuts to my legs from flying string fragments over the past couple or years. I finally decided to see if anyone else was having this problem and found recall for earlier models. My trimmer has an orange head but still spews fragments while being used. I have decide to replace it before it does anymore damage.
Gasoline began running out of the back of the Husqvarna Model 122C string trimmer when filled with gasoline with no reason (had not been dropped or otherwise hit to cause leak.) Immediately emptied tank and took to the local Husqvarna service dealership, Wilson County Farmer's Co-Op. Tank was found to have a hairline crack at the mounting hole nearest the filler tube. Tank was replaced at owner's expense to make trimmer serviceable.
trimmer/edger emmited smoke and burning odor from motor housing
While [weed trimming], the motor on my 2-year old Toro String Trimmer came off the shaft without warning and hit me on the upper side of my right leg. The motor housing appears to have been held on only by a single screw which either came loose or had not been tightened at the factory. It caused bruising, considerable pain and loss of sleep for 3 weeks. Two visits to doctor visits, blood test for possible blood clot, and prescription for pain reduction.
I purchased a Black & Decker Grasshog XP GH1000 Type 1 14" trimmer/edger from Home Depot in the spring of 2007. During routine weekly use of the unit, the spool cap would come off. I thought nothing of it since I had never owned a trimmer/edger prior to this one. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, the spool cap finally broke and flew off. No one was injured. I went on line looking for a replacement part when I noticed there was a safety recall on this unit.
Bought craftsman gas powered weedwacker- it leaks fuel
Showing 8 of 141 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Lawn & Garden Equipment
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Lawn Trimmers Or Edgers, Powered (excl. Brushcutters): cross-group products nearest on danger score (38/100), estimated annual ER visits (12,753/yr), and hospitalization share (4.2%). 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.
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
- First Aid Equipment Home Medical & Assistance Devices 4.2%admitted
- Glass Bathtub Or Shower Enclosures Home Furnishings & Fixtures 4.1%admitted
- Electric Fireplaces, Factory Built Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares 4.2%admitted
- Playground Equipment, Not Specified Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 4.2%admitted
Related Products in Lawn & Garden Equipment
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, Lawn Trimmers Or Edgers, Powered (excl. Brushcutters) ranks #256 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #178 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) ranks #256 by PlainSafety danger score (38/100) and #178 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (12,753/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters)?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 40,426 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) increasing or decreasing?
Down 13% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters) injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 46,001 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters)?
Of all ER visits involving lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters), approximately 4.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (95.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with lawn trimmers or edgers, powered (excl. brushcutters)?
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.