Lightning Rods, Arresters Or Other Grounding Devices
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.
Home Heating & Cooling Equipment · CPSC Code 706
Up 27% over 5 years
The verdict
Lightning Rods, Arresters Or Other Grounding Devices carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 89 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 27% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 89
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 706 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume89 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.3%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+27%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Lightning Rods, Arresters Or Other Grounding Devices (CPSC product code 706, in the Home Heating & Cooling Equipment category) generate an estimated 89 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 1,417 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 rising by about 27% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (211 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2008 (15 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices is laceration to the lower arm, accounting for approximately 152 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the head (151 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 335 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 6.3% 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 lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices 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 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5-14 | 144 | 37 | |
| 15-24 | 224 | 15 | |
| 25-34 | 318 | 17 | |
| 35-44 | 83 | 0 | |
| 45-54 | 85 | 71 | |
| 55-64 | 103 | 32 | |
| 65-74 | 109 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 81 | 94 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Laceration | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Puncture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
20YOM DROPPED A METAL ROD ON TOP OF HIS RIGHT FOOT DX: PUNCTURE WOUND TO FOOT
67YOM, WAS REMOVING A LIGHTNING ROD FROM THE ROOF OF THE BARN WHEN SUSTAINED A PUNCTURE WOUND TO THE ANKLE AND IT GOT INFECTED DX: CELLULITIS UNSPECIFIED
19YOM BIB EMS IN CUSTODY AFTER PT RAN FROM PD AND JUMPED OFF AN 8FT LEDGE AND LANDED ON HIS FACE. DX: FALL, CHIN LAC
64YOM PT FELL ON A LIGHTNING ROD ON A ROOF YESTERDAY DX: PUNCTURE WOUND OF LT FOREARM
28YOF PRESENTS WITH COMPLAINTS OF RIGHT LOWER EXTREMITY PAIN FROM THE KNEE TO THE ANKLE AND LEFT ORBITAL PAIN FOLLOWING A GROUND LEVEL MECHANICAL FALL.PATIENT STATES SHE HAS A ROD IN HER LEG AND IT GAVE OUT AND CAUSED THE FALL. DX: FALL.
*32YOM,SHARPENING A TUNGSTEN METAL ROD ACCIDENTALLY STABBED SELF ON EYE,FB,PAIN,DX:CONJUCTIVAL LAC,FB EYE
63 YOF FELL BACKWARDS ONTO A LIGHTNING ROD.DX: PENETRATING WOUND TO L FLANK. ALCOHOL INTOX, TRAUMATIC ABD HERNIA.
5 YO F S/P HIT EYE WITH RUSTY CAR ANTENNAE WHILE PLAYING OUTSIDEDX: ABRASION SCLERA RIGHT @
25 YOM SUSTAINED AN AVULSION TO HIS LEFT 5TH FINGER AFTER CRUSHING IT BETWEEN TWO PIECES OF METAL
28 YOM HIT IN FACE BY GROUNDING ROD. DX FACE LACERATION
*5YOM,PLAYING W/ANTENNA, BOUNCED BACK HITTING EYE,DX:CONTUSION EYE
80YOF WITH CONTUSION TO LOW BACK AFTER FALLING OFF WALKER WHILE BEING PUSHED OVER A BUMP.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 89 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices?
The most common injury is laceration to the lower arm, accounting for approximately 152 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices increasing or decreasing?
Up 27% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 335 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices?
Of all ER visits involving lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices, approximately 6.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with lightning rods, arresters or other grounding devices?
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 Home Heating & Cooling Equipment
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.
