Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Lighters, Not Specified ranks #49 of 838 by danger score (45/100) at ER-volume #493 of 838 (1,292/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #49
- danger rank of 838
- #493
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 45/100
- danger score
- 1,292/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 (45/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
45 Higher than most more dangerous than 93% 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: 70/100
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) | 19 | 92nd | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 1,292 | 37th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | +58% | 95th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 29 | 61st | 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 25,850 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1687. Segments sum to 25,850 - 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 Personal Care & Safety Products 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.
Personal Care & Safety Products danger scores
How this 45/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for lighters, not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 1,292 ER visits/yr Below median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 18.5% Very high admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.08% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trend+58%
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 lighters, not specified are rising by about 58% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (3,157 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2011 (622 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is burns, thermal to the face, accounting for approximately 4,611 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the hand (4,097 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4,926 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 18.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.08%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 29 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how lighters, 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 Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 1,141 | 261 | |
| 5-14 | 3,640 | 1,286 | |
| 15-24 | 3,760 | 1,010 | |
| 25-34 | 2,879 | 1,557 | |
| 35-44 | 1,845 | 1,199 | |
| 45-54 | 1,814 | 1,296 | |
| 55-64 | 1,310 | 1,188 | |
| 65-74 | 637 | 447 | |
| 75+ | 391 | 187 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Leg | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Lower Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
4 YOM WAS PLAYING WITH A LIGHTER, LITE HIS SHIRT ON FIRE AND BURNT HIS CHEST, NO FIRE DEPT. DX: FULL THICKNESS BURN OF CHEST WALL
6 YOM PRESENTS AFTER HIS BROTHER WAS PLAYING WITH A LIGHTER AND ACCIDENTALLY LIT HIS SHIRT ON FIRE. FD NS. DX: BURN OF FLANK THIRD DEGREE.
19YOM HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM DELUSIONS AND CONSUMED A D8 GUMMY WHEN HE SUSTAINED SELF-INFLICTED BURNS TO BOTH FOREARMS WITH A LIGHTER TONIGHT AT HOME NOTHING STATED ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DX: SUPERFICIAL THICKNESS BURN OF FOREARMS; ACUTE PSYCHOSIS
8YOM - PATIENT PRESENT FOR BURN TO CHEST. PT WAS PLAYING WITH A LIGHTER AND HIS SHIRT CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED HIS CHEST. NO FIRE DEPARTMENT PRESENT. NO LOC. DX: BURN
33 YOF PRESENTING TODAY IN POLICE CUSTODY AFTER ALLEGEDLY INGESTING FENTANYL DURING HER ARREST. PT ALSO HAD 2 LIGHTERS, 2 BAGS OF UNKNOWN DRUGS AND A PIPE IN HER VAGINA FOUND AT JAIL. DX: FENTANYL USE DISORDER.
47YOM BROUGHT IN SELF FROM HOME WITH BURNS TO FACE AND HANDS. REPORTS JUST FILLED UP A BUTANE LIGHTER AND WAS USING IT WHEN IT EXPLODED. PRESENTS WITH BLISTERED BURNS TO HANDS, FACE RED AND SWOLLEN, HAIR AND BEARD SINGED. 3RD DEGREE BURN TO HANDS, 2ND DEGREE BURN TO NOSE, FACE AND NECK, 1ST DEGREE BURN TO MOUTH FD UNK DX: BURN, SOMNOLENCE
29 YOM WITH 3 DAYS OF LEFT THUMB SWELLING FOR THE LAST 3 DAYS. STATES HE HAS BEEN PLAYING AROUND WITH A LIGHTER THAT MAY HAVE IRRITATED THE AREA. DX THUMB ABSCESS
26YOM WHO PRESENTS TO THE ER WITH A COMPLAINT OF BURN TO HIS RIGHT EYE AREA. PT STATES THAT HE WAS TRYING TO LIGHT HIS LIGHTER AND PUT IT UP TO HIS EAR TO HEAR IF THE BUTANE WAS FLOWING WHEN IT SUDDENLY IGNITED WITH A FLASH NEXT TO HIS EYE DX; BURN
59 YOM WITH BURNS TO HIS HANDS. REPORTS HIS SON DROPPED A LIGHTER ON A PLASTIC BAG THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. HE USED HIS HANDS TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. NO FD. DX BURNS TO HANDS
54 YOF FROM A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FACILITY. SHE WAS OUTSIDE, LIT A CIGARETTE, WHICH CAUGHT HER COAT ON FIRE. +BURNS TO FACE AND FINGERS, ?FD DX BURNS
71 YOM REPORTS SOMEONE IN HIS HOUSE TRIED TO USE A LIGHTER TOO CLOSE TO HIS OXYGEN AND IT IGNITED BURNING HIS NASAL HAIRS, RIGHT THUMB AND LEFT HAND. COHGB 3.8, ?FD DX INHALATION INJURY, BURNS
12YOF WAS SETTING THINGS ON FIRE WITH A LIGHTER AND BURNED HER FINGERS.LWOT. DX: BURNS TO FINGERS
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
My wife used a scripto lighter to light a candle, and placed the lighter on the couch. She then lit 4 more candles with the lit one, and the lighter, sitting on the couch, exploded and set fire to the couch.
Picked up a mk lighter when i went to lite it blow up in my face burning my hair, face, neck area and my arm.
My sister started the MK lighter and it exploded in her hand. Her hands were not injured but the explosion scared us both. The next day the same type of lighter was placed on the top of a dryer. Someone turned the dryer on and the MK lighter exploded.
I had used this lighter and it burned my hand. Also I see that it does not have any child proof mechanism that is built in the lighter. I believe any children will be able to play with this lighter and maybe burn themselves.
I used a butane lighter to light a cigarette and set it down. It did not shut off and burned my table.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml98/98094.html Elite Lighter malfunctioned and the flint flew out upon the first light. Also, the lighter stayed lit after I wished to extinguish the flame. I bought the darn thing at Walgreens on Apalachee PKWY in Tallahassee, FL
The consumer had about five of the lighters that exploded at different times without any warning. One was under his laptop, the other four were lying on the desk. The products were not exposed to direct sunlight per the consumer. No injuries.
I came across this ad on [REDACTED]. I have been seeing many videos in general online about people pranking others in food service or retail and this video is next level. This is clearly a high risk product and not a gag by any means. If it was fake fire or something then it would be a gag but it's real fire, pretty sure they use coal to fuel it. Service workers are not to be used for entertainment on social media like this. It's sickening to promote like this and even create a product like this in the first place. If this happened at my job I would've called the police. [REDACTED]
Showing 8 of 29 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to lighters, not specified on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Personal Care & Safety Products
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Lighters, Not Specified: cross-group products nearest on danger score (45/100), estimated annual ER visits (1,292/yr), and hospitalization share (18.5%). 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.
Related Products in Personal Care & Safety Products
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, Lighters, Not Specified ranks #49 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #493 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does lighters, not specified rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, lighters, not specified ranks #49 by PlainSafety danger score (45/100) and #493 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (1,292/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from lighters, not specified?
The most common injury is burns, thermal to the face, accounting for approximately 4,611 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from lighters, not specified increasing or decreasing?
Up 58% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for lighters, not specified injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4,926 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by lighters, not specified?
Of all ER visits involving lighters, not specified, approximately 18.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (81.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with lighters, 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.
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.