Other Portable Or Stationary Power Tools
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 Communication & Entertainment · CPSC Code 809
Down 14% over 5 years
The verdict
Other Portable Or Stationary Power Tools carry a danger score of 34/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 3,030 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 14% over the last five years.
- 34/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 3,030
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 4.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 35-44
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 809 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 34/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for other portable or stationary power tools - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume3,030 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)4.5%
- Fatality rate0.03%
- 5-year trend-14%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Other Portable Or Stationary Power Tools (CPSC product code 809, in the Home Communication & Entertainment category) generate an estimated 3,030 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 60,590 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 34/100 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 14% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (4,037 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (1,766 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for other portable or stationary power tools is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 10,829 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by foreign body to the eyeball (4,032 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 12,778 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 4.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.03%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 62 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how other portable or stationary power tools 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 | 353 | 99 | |
| 5-14 | 834 | 153 | |
| 15-24 | 7,607 | 614 | |
| 25-34 | 9,097 | 976 | |
| 35-44 | 11,326 | 1,401 | |
| 45-54 | 11,321 | 629 | |
| 55-64 | 7,624 | 482 | |
| 65-74 | 4,552 | 433 | |
| 75+ | 2,872 | 171 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Finger | Avulsion | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
20YOM DROPPED A POWER TOOL ON HIS GREAT TOE LAST NIGHT. HAS HAD PAIN SINCE. DX: FRACTURE OF LEFT GREAT TOE
37 YOM PRESENTS WTIH EYE PAIN. REPORTS WAS USING A *** ON METAL AT HOME AND THINKS HE MAY HAVE A PIECE OF METAL IN LATERAL R EYE. DX: FB IN CONJUNCTIVAL SAC, R EYE.
75 YOM WAS WORKING WITH AN EMERY WHEEL SHAVING A PIECE OF METAL WHEN IT KICKED BACK AND INJURED HIS HAND. DX: HAND LACERATION, HAND FRACTURE
70 YOF C/O INJ TO LOWER ARM WHEN SHE FELL ON ICE WHILE SHOVELING WITH HER ELECTRIC SHOVEL AT HOME DX RADIUS FX
15YOM PATIENT WAS USING A PNEUMATIC POST DRIVER DRIVING IN A WOODEN POST WHEN IT LANDED ON HIS LEFT HAND CRUSHING HIS RING AND MIDDLE FINGERS DX: MULTIPLE OPEN FRACTURE OF DISTAL PHALANX OF FINGER
65YOM WAS USING AN AIR IMPACT GUN AND ACCIDENTALLY COMPRESSED HIS FINGER BETWEEN METAL AND IMPACT GUN CAUSING SMALL LACERATIONS AND PAIN. DX: LEFT INDEX FINGER CRUSH INJURY AND LACERATION
38YOM WAS SANDBLASTING, USING A METALIC SAND, AND ACCIDENTALLY SPRAYED ARM. PT WITH PIECES OF METALIC SAND IN ARM. DX: FB ARM
47YOM CUTTING A GLASS BOTTLE WITH A ***L AND THE BOTTLE BROKE AND CUT HAND. DX: HAND LACERATION
60YOM REPORTS WITH FINGER PAIN AFTER WORKING WITH POWER TOOLS. DX PUNCTURE WOUND, FINGER FRACTURE, LACERATION
59YOM WAS USING POWER TOOLS TO CUT UP PALLETS AND GOT SOMETHIN G IN EYE. DX CORNEAL RUST RING L EYE
39YOM WAS SANDBLASTING - HAD GOGGLES ON - BUT SAND GOT IN EYES. DX: CORNEAL ABRASION
59YOM C/O ARM BRUISING S/P PT STATES HE WAS USING A JACKHAMMER YESTERDAY WHEN HE FELT A SUDDEN POPPING SENSATION IN THE LEFT SHOULDER FOLLOWED BY SMALL AREA OF BURISING WHICH SPREAD TO HIS BICEP AND ELBOW. DX: BRUSING OF LEFT ARM
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I own a refurbished Glowforge Plus laser printer, and this is the second time I've encountered this issue with it (the first time it happened I paid about 1200 dollars to have another machine sent to me, which had a different issue that needed replacing, and they sent me this machine). The laser was working fine and I was operating it as normal to engrave some wood (and it has been operating well since I got this replacement in April), then it suddenly stopped engraving but continued moving as if it was (it was still on and didn't stop or power down because of this issue). Before I turned it off and unplugged it, I took a video of a small spark occurring inside the machine from one of the power source's wires that runs underneath the laser tube. No injuries occurred either this time or the first time this happened, since after I took a video I immediately turned off and unplugged the machine.
On September 1, 2025, my QIDI Q1 Pro 3D printer (purchased via Amazon, order #[REDACTED], less than 9 months old with light use) experienced a catastrophic overheating failure during a routine print. The printer displayed an error: Heater extruder not heating at expected rate, indicating potential thermal runaway. The silicone boot on the hotend solidified and crumbled to dust, the plastic shroud and sensor mount turned brown from extreme heat, and the printers base burned my hand 20 minutes after being unplugged, posing a severe fire hazard. I was home, preventing a potential fire, but the incident caused a burn injury to my hand. Photos of the damage are available at: initial photos and follow-up. QIDI Tech support has denied any fire risk, offering only a hotend and adapter board replacement, which does not address potential damage to the power supply or wiring. This aligns with reported Q1 Pro overheating and chamber heater issues in user communities (e.g., [REDACTED], [REDACTED], 2024-2025). The printer remains unsafe to operate, and Im pursuing an Amazon A-to-z Guarantee claim due to the sellers inadequate response.
Purchased the product and after plugging the cord into the receptacle it started making a loud humming noise and then caught fire with flames coming out of the top causing the product to start melting on my hands
High voltage power line to laser developed a short circuit causing sparking in machine, and ultimately destroying the power supply Additional information: The power supply is 22KV - the high voltage line shorts out onto the frame after 2 years, grounding to the metal frame, if there is an improper ground the metal parts are energized At 22,000 KV which will kill a person. Is that Not dangerous??? I received a new machine from Glowforge, and they used a defective power supply and added a nylon sleeve (Not fiberglass) to it, the power supply of course shorted out, and luckily the nylon did not catch on fire.
Glowforge Pro rubbed through high voltage power wire to laser causing it to spark & short.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D printers use a USB C cable which provides 24v power at up to 4.3A to the printhead PCB. Data lines are shielded twisted pair 24 AWG while power and gnd are untwisted 20 AWG. The strain relief on my printer's PCB failed exposing the wiring underneath and causing a short and toolhead board failure. Another user provided a video of a similar failure accompanied by visible and audible electrical arcing in the failed region of the cable, posing an immediate electrical fire hazard. The design of the printer's strain relief and cable chain puts it under stress during homing and printing operations that may contribute to failure. Community members have identified at least a dozen printers with some combination of strain relief deformation or separation from cable sheathing, bulging of cable sheathing, or visible helical twisting of insulated wires underneath the sheathing in the strained regions. Elegoo support provided a replacement cable to me but the recent report of visible electrical arcing, precedent of house fires and recalls caused by strain relief failures in other 3D printers, and number of Centauri Carbon units with strain relief damage that went unnoticed until the problem was mentioned to them is concerning. My printer was preorder around 2/15/25, has an mfg. date of 4/1/25, and arrived around 5/15/25. I have included photos of my printer as well as the other 10 units for which photos showing potential cable damage are available. Of the four units where total print time is know it ranged from 100-600 hours.
(09/14/2021) The consumer stated that he had just purchased the product. The product had warmed up for about five minutes. When the consumer picked it up to use it, the plastic around the heating element burst into flames. The consumer took the product back to the place of purchase.
Glowforge sent me a refurbished machine in late 2021 that has mechanical issues that were previously fixed I had to purchase the refurbished after my original has a defect. On sept 9 I noticed extreme sparking in the machine, come to find out there is a very high voltage wire inside on that laser that side under the laser tube rubbing against the metal frame, causing a hole and short circut destroying the power supply. With this amount of high voltage, it could of killed someone in my home or started a fire. This company is scamming people by charging $1700 for a refurbished machine with the same design default which will happen again after one year. This is a manufacturer defect and this laser should be recalled immediately and the consumer should be compensated for it, this is deadly
Showing 8 of 62 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to other portable or stationary power tools on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are other portable or stationary power tools?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, other portable or stationary power tools have a danger score of 34/100 (low risk). An estimated 3,030 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from other portable or stationary power tools?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 10,829 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from other portable or stationary power tools increasing or decreasing?
Down 14% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for other portable or stationary power tools injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 12,778 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by other portable or stationary power tools?
Of all ER visits involving other portable or stationary power tools, approximately 4.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (95.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with other portable or stationary power tools?
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 Communication & Entertainment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 34/100 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 35-44 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.
