Monkey Bars Or Other Playground Climbing Apparatus
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.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1244
Down 33% over 5 years
The verdict
Monkey Bars Or Other Playground Climbing Apparatus carry a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 73,044 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 33% over the last five years.
- 41/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 73,044
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1244 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume73,044 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.8%
- Fatality rate0.01%
- 5-year trend-33%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Monkey Bars Or Other Playground Climbing Apparatus (CPSC product code 1244, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 73,044 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 1.5M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 41/100 for this category (moderate 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 33% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (94,219 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (29,178 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus is fracture to the lower arm, accounting for approximately 264,360 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by fracture to the wrist (173,673 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1.2M 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 6.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.01%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 23 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus 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 | 128,174 | 94,177 | |
| 5-14 | 595,848 | 596,632 | |
| 15-24 | 10,111 | 9,817 | |
| 25-34 | 4,773 | 7,211 | |
| 35-44 | 2,803 | 3,753 | |
| 45-54 | 1,799 | 2,354 | |
| 55-64 | 636 | 1,341 | |
| 65-74 | 250 | 815 | |
| 75+ | 80 | 275 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Fracture | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
6YOM PT FELL FROM MONKEY BARS AT ASCHOOL AND PAIN TO THE RIGHT FOREARM AREA. DX: CONTUSION OF RIGHT ELBOW.
10YOF FOR EVAL OF R ARM INJ SHE SUSTAINED WHILE ON MONKEY BARS PTA TODAY. SHE SLIPPED WHILE GRIPPING BAR BEHIND HER & HEARD IT SNAP & FELL & FOUND HER ARM TO BE DEFORMED.OCCURRED AT HOME. DX: RIGHT FOREARM FRACTURE
22YOF PRESENT TO ED W/ L SIDE NECK PX.PT WAS HANGING ON THE MONKEY BARS TODAY,FELT A POP,SINCE HAS SIGNIFICANT PX,UNABLE TO MOVE NECK D/T PX.NO OTHER INJURIESDX:STRAIN OF L TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE;TORTICOLLIS
6YOF CHILD FELL OFF THE MONKEY BARS WHILE AT SCHOOL, HITTING THE BACK OF HER HEAD DX: CONTUSION OF SCALP
21MOM FELL OFF JUNGLE GYM AND HIT EYE, DX EYELID LAC, EYE INJURY
9YOM WITH FALL OFF MONKEY BARS DX: THIGH PAIN
6YOM FELL OFF OF THE MONKEY BARS STRIKING FOREHEAD DX: LACERATION FACE
6YOM WAS CLIMBING ON THE MONKEY BARS AT SCHOOL AND FELL STRIKING FACE DX: CONTUSION TO NOSE
4YOM WAS PLAYING ON A JUNGLE GYM AT HOME WHEN HE FELL OFF DX: FX RIGHT RADIUS
39YOF HIT HEAD ON MONKEY BARS DX; CHI
8YOF FELL OFF OF THE MONKEY BARS AT SCHOOL DX: FRACTURED LEFT HUMERUS
22MOF,ARM PAIN,ON PLAY STRUCTURE INSIDE OF HOUSE DANGLING ARMS DOWNWARDS THERE WAS A POP,DX:ARM PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
One year babys head got stuck between rungs in a Pikler climbing toy
The consumer stated that her 3 year old niece was using the trapeze rings when one of it broke. Her niece was pulling herself up when the plastic ring broke. Her niece fell to the ground hurting her back and head. No medical attention was necessary. The consumer applied ice to the area. The consumer took the broken ring to a local Rainbow store in Lake In The Hill, IL. The consumer spoke to a sales representative at the store regarding the incident. The sales representative informed the consumer that they didn't sell the plastic ring at that location and that she would have to order a replacement online. The consumer ordered a replacement ring for $60 through the representative. The consumer is upset because the representative failed to report the incident to corporate or fill out any paperwork regarding the matter. He only ordered a new ring for the consumer. The consumer believes that there may be more incidents with the product (recall #15-250) that are not reported to the company because the store representatives fail to to take the report. Recall date: Sept 24, 2015 Recall #: 15-250 Manufactured by Nylacarb Plastic yellow trapeze rings
(08/24/2021) The consumer stated that her nine year old daughter, who has autism, was allowed to play on the monkey bars at her school during recess when there was a heat advisory on that day. Her daughter's hands were burned. The school put bandages on her child's hand and provided an ice pack. The consumer stated that no one test the playground equipment to see if it was too hot for the children. The consumer took her daughter to Urgent Care for treatment. The diagnosis was second degree burns. The consumer contacted the school to get information on the playground equipment. She was referred to the business manager who did not provide any information on the monkey bars. All information that I am providing for the product has come from my own internet research based on a nameplate on the equipment.
My daughter was using the Eezy Peezy Mega Pyramid Monkey Bars Climbing Tower Active Outdoor Fun for Kids Ages 3 to 8 Years Old purchased on Amazon. She is 3 years old and loves to climb. She has used this climber for many months now. Yesterday, she somehow slipped through the two parallel bars on the top back side of the structure. She was hanging by her neck and was stuck there. Her face and lips were turning blue. There was no safe way to get her unstuck. We had to forcefully push her head through the bars which was very painful, in order to save her life as she could not breathe. She had to go to the ER and get a head CT. She is okay now, but very easily could have died from this product.
My daughter was swinging on a Rainbow Play Systems trapeze bar/ring attachment to our play structure. She weighs less than 50lbs and one of the rings she was holding snapped off, the plastic breaking below to wear it attaches to the chain. I can provide pictures on request. She was not using it in any way that any person would consider unusual.
Kids were playing on Rainbow Systems playground set and the trapeze handle broke while in play! When I contacted Rainbow was VERY shocked to find out that there was a recall. We were never notified by Rainbow nor by company that sold it to us (Superior Play Systems).
A Pikler Triangle by Peaks and Raindbows Company i made for babies. The wood is unfinished, non sanded and laden with wood filler. Our 9 month old had 3 splinters within 5 minutes. Also, exposed rough screws and rivets with sharp edges are on the outside capable or severely slicing skin.
This caller purchased a monkey climbing toy for the backyard May 2022 for their child. This backyard climbing toy is advertised to hold 170 lbs. Their child weighs only 40 lbs. They put this backyard playground toy together according to directions then allowed their child to play on it. The first time their child climbed on the four-foot-high climbing toy was in May 2022. One of the structures bars fell off it, which could have caused their child to fall but did not get injured. They re-tightened all the connections thinking that may be an issue. Springtime 2023 they allowed their child to play on it for a second time and again, a bar fell off. They tightened the bars again. June 5th, 2023, their child was climbing again on the structure again a bar dropped off. The consumers have labeled the toy as unsafe and not repairable. They are removing it from their yard and reporting its as unsafe.
Showing 8 of 23 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus have a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 73,044 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus?
The most common injury is fracture to the lower arm, accounting for approximately 264,360 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus increasing or decreasing?
Down 33% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1.2M cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus?
Of all ER visits involving monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus, approximately 6.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with monkey bars or other playground climbing apparatus?
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 Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 41/100 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 5-14 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.