Music Boxes Or Chimes
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 Medical & Assistance Devices · CPSC Code 1734
Down 26% over 5 years
The verdict
Music Boxes Or Chimes carry a danger score of 28/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 196 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 26% over the last five years.
- 28/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 196
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 55-64
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1734 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 28/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for music boxes or chimes - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume196 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.4%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-26%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Music Boxes Or Chimes (CPSC product code 1734, in the Home Medical & Assistance Devices category) generate an estimated 196 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 3,926 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 28/100 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 declining by about 26% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (415 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2018 (5 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for music boxes or chimes is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 412 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the ankle (333 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 966 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 6.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how music boxes or chimes 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 | 601 | 322 | |
| 5-14 | 282 | 245 | |
| 15-24 | 65 | 118 | |
| 25-34 | 71 | 215 | |
| 35-44 | 162 | 180 | |
| 45-54 | 85 | 219 | |
| 55-64 | 153 | 813 | |
| 65-74 | 0 | 248 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 147 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Neck | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
60 YOF INJURED ANKLE, WHILE TAKING DOWN WIND CHIMES, TWISTED ANKLE,AT HOME. DX-SPRAIN RIGHT ANKLE
72 YOF. FOREHEAD LAC AFTER PT TRIPPED & FELL HER HEAD AGAINST A RUSTY CHIME SHE HAD ON HER HAND. DX: FOREHEAD LAC
76YOF PT WAS TRYING TO HANG A WIND CHIME LOST HER BALANCE FELL HITTING HEAD AND FACE ON PORCH DX CHI, LACERATION LT EYEBROW
3MOM WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A MUSIC BOX WHEN IT FELL. NO INJURIES NOTED DX: PATIENT LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN
7YOM WALKED INTO A WIND CHIME IN A STORE STRUCK RIGHT EYE DX: CORNEAL ABRASION
8 MOM PULLED MUSIC BOX DOWN ON HAND. DX FINGER FRACTURE, FINGER LACERATION
7MOF PRESENTS FOR PHYSICAL EXAM; DURING EXAM, BRUISE NOTED TO FOREHEAD; PER GRANDMOTHER, PATIENT WAS PLAYING WITH TOYS AND FELL FORWARD ONTO MUSIC BOX DX: ENCOUNTER FOR ROUTINE CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION WITHOUT ABNORMAL FINDINGS *
56YOF C/O L ANKLE INJURY THAT SHE SUSTAINED TODAY WHEN A MUSIC BOX FELL ONTO HER ANKLE. THIS WAS FIRMLY ON THE TABLE WHEN SHE SAW IT LAST BUT THINKS THAT THE VIBRATIONS NEARBY HAD CAUSED THIS TO WALK ITSELF TO THE EDGE. DX: CONTUSION OF L ANKLE
86 YOF WAS OUTSIDE AT HOME ADJUSTING SOME WIND CHIMES WHEN SHE FELL FORWARD STRIKING FACE ON A LIGHT & LANDING ON ASPHALT DRIVEWAY INJURING FACE & KNEES, DX: ACUTE NASAL BONE FX, ACUTE LEFT ANTERIOR MAXILLARY BUTTRESS FX, 7CM FACIAL LAC, BILATERAL KNEE ABR
2YOM PER MOM TONIGHT PT HIT CHIN ON A MUSIC BOX WHILE TRYING TO CLIMB OVER IT DX: LAC CHIN
66YOF RT SHOULDER PAIN FELL AT HOME HANGING CHIMES AND MOVING WOOD DX-MUSCLE STRAIN RT UPPER EXTREMITY
13YR F FELL HITTING BROKEN MUSIC BOX;DX HAND LAC
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Today, our twenty two year old daughter was going around with something in her hand and mouth, hiding it from us. My husband and I finally got the piece from her, which turned out to be a small, pink plastic piece with the word "Schylling" on it. We looked it up online and figured out that the piece was the crank-knob on her FAO Schwartz Princess Jack in a Box. It had apparently broken in two pieces where they were fitted to the metal, and we were so lucky that our little one didn't choke on the pieces! I don't know who to write to about this, so I found this site. Here is the webpage of the toy: http://www.fao.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11123382.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to music boxes or chimes on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are music boxes or chimes?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, music boxes or chimes have a danger score of 28/100 (low risk). An estimated 196 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from music boxes or chimes?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 412 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from music boxes or chimes increasing or decreasing?
Down 26% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for music boxes or chimes injuries?
The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 966 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by music boxes or chimes?
Of all ER visits involving music boxes or chimes, approximately 6.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with music boxes or chimes?
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 Medical & Assistance Devices
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 28/100 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 55-64 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.
