Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Nonelectric Can Openers ranks #780 of 838 by danger score (25/100) at ER-volume #701 of 838 (197/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #780
- danger rank of 838
- #701
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 25/100
- danger score
- 197/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 (25/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
25 Among the lowest lower 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: 20/100
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) | 0 | 2nd | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 197 | 13th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -21% | 33rd | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 14 | 52nd | 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 3,735 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 401. Segments sum to 3,735 - 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 Containers, Tableware & Packaging 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.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging danger scores
How this 25/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for nonelectric can openers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 197 ER visits/yr Low volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 0.3% Low admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-21%
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 nonelectric can openers are declining by about 21% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2013 (430 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (6 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 1,909 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (775 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 771 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 0.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 14 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how nonelectric can openers 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 | 98 | 16 | |
| 5-14 | 165 | 240 | |
| 15-24 | 343 | 336 | |
| 25-34 | 265 | 266 | |
| 35-44 | 224 | 547 | |
| 45-54 | 163 | 132 | |
| 55-64 | 165 | 243 | |
| 65-74 | 68 | 179 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 281 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Other | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Hand | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Other | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Face | Hematoma | |
| Toe | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
41YOM REPORTS HIS OWN DOGS GOT INTO A FIGHT AND HE WAS BITTEN ON THE HAND WHILE TRYING TO SEPARATE THEM. +LACERATION. DX DOG BITE
80YOF COMES TO THE ER FOR A LACERATION. SHE REPORTS A LACERATION TO HER THUMB X 3 DAYS AGO, CAUSED FROM A MANUAL CAN OPENER. EXAM NOTES SWELLING AND ERYTHEMA SURROUNDING A 0.5 CM HEALING LACERATION TO THE DISTAL LEFT THUMB. DX: LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT THUMB WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL
49YOF CUT LEFT HAND ON A MANUAL CAN OPENER DX: LACERATION HAND
35 YOF INJURED THUMB, AFTER USING A CAN OPENER TO OPEN A CAN, ONE WEEK AGO. DX- RIGHT THUMB PAIN
21YOM WAS OPENING A CAN WITH A HAND HELD CAN OPENER AND POURING IT INTO A BOWL TO WARM UP FOR HIS GIRLFRIEND AND HE CUT HIS LEFT THUMB DX: LACERATION OF LEFT THUMB
65YOF WAS USING A MANUAL CAN OPENER WHILE OPENING A CAN OF SOUP AND CUT LEFT THUMB DX: LACERATION FINGER
56YOF WAS USING A MANUAL CAN OPENER AND FELT A POP IN RIGTH WRIST DX: WRIST PAIN
80YOF SHLDR PAIN AFTER USING MANUAL, TWIST CAN OPENER, DX: ARTHRITIS OF RIGHT SHLDR
59 YO M PT WAS USING A CAN OPENER TRYING TO OPEN A CAN OF CORN BEEF WHEN CAN OPENER BROKE PT STUCK HIS RT HAND IN CAN TRYING TO GRAB THE LID CUTTING RT HANDDX 4CM LACERATION RT HAND
32YOM OPENING A *** BOTTLE WHEN BROKE AND CUT HAND. DX: RT HAND LAC.
X 14YOM WAS OPENING A CAN AND CUT FINGER AT HOME DX FINGER LAC
67YOF-PT STATES LAST NIGHT AT HOME DROPPED A CAN OPENER ON HER RIGHT FOOT SWELLING TO TOP OF RIGHT FOOT DX: CONTUSION RIGHT FOOT
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The EZ-DUZ-It Can Opener from JOHN J. STEUBY manufacturing has sharp edges that can cut fingers while operating. I have brought this to the attention of the company and have not received a timely response. This poses a serious risk to consumers and I suggest this product be subject to an immediate recall and the condition remedied prior to resale.
Can opener creates metal slivers on can lid, Which fell into the food in the can. If I had not noticed, I would have eaten a sharp piece of metal.
I have a KitchenAid multifunction manual can opener purchased from Walmart. When I use it, metal filaments are frequently stripped from the top rim of the can; and they sometimes fall into food contents of the can when I don't notice them and the can is emptied. When that happens and I inadvertently put a filament into my mouth, I taste the metal of the filament and have so far been able to find the filament and not swallow it. I have ordered another brand of can opener and will discontinue use of the KitchenAid. I don't want to swallow a metal filament that could damage my esophagus or stomach.
The consumer stated that 2 months ago he was using his can opener and while opening the can he noticed that 1/2 inch of the metal was being sheared instead of making a smooth cut. The can opener was discarded because he figured that it was too old. Approximately two and a half weeks later he purchased the same brand can opener. When he began opening another can he saw that the edges were not smooth and were very jagged. Small Sharp pieces of metal are coming off the can. (2 weeks ago) The consumer e-mailed the retailer and the brand company, he received a return email from the brand company and they informed him that they don't make the can opener and provided him the name of the manufacturer. The consumer feels that the can opener poses a safety hazard because the jagged edges may possibly fall into the contents that are in the can.
I bought a new can opener today and went to use it. The information on the package states "Easy to use manual can opener. Contoured handles distribute pressure evenly." Their statement is false and while trying to use the first time, the handle broke off and the sharp plastic almost punctured my palm. It was a Mainstays Can Opener Distributed by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Bentonville, AR 72716. Made in China. Model: MS40-041-410-5. Scanner code: 076753330756. Cost should of warned me, $1.87.
Purchased two can openers in 03/2021 (Mainstays Can Opener Kitchen Tool), went to use around 5/23/21 and both can opener handles snapped off. No permanent injuries but I did hurt hand for couple days. Luckily, the metal part did not cut into hand.
(03/25/2024) The consumer stated that slivers of metal were found in the soda after using this product to open the can.
February 24th, 2023 (contacted [REDACTED] as unknown why can opener malfunctioned): Ongoing defects.... Sloppy, careless, unprofessional, broken handle causing pain and poor workmanship. April 1st, 2023: Careless, poor quality, lazy workmanship and deplorable sales strategy. April 8th, 2023: This is my SECOND and final attempt for a full refund for product defect and ignorance of your responsibility.
Showing 8 of 14 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to nonelectric can openers on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Nonelectric Can Openers: cross-group products nearest on danger score (25/100), estimated annual ER visits (197/yr), and hospitalization share (0.3%). 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 Containers, Tableware & Packaging
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, Nonelectric Can Openers ranks #780 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #701 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does nonelectric can openers rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, nonelectric can openers ranks #780 by PlainSafety danger score (25/100) and #701 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (197/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from nonelectric can openers?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 1,909 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from nonelectric can openers increasing or decreasing?
Down 21% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for nonelectric can openers injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 771 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by nonelectric can openers?
Of all ER visits involving nonelectric can openers, approximately 0.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with nonelectric can openers?
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.