Other Power Garden 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.
Lawn & Garden Equipment · CPSC Code 1409
Down 25% over 5 years
The verdict
Other Power Garden Tools carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 364 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 25% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 364
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 35-44
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1409 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for other power garden tools - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume364 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-25%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Other Power Garden Tools (CPSC product code 1409, in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category) generate an estimated 364 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 7,278 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 declining by about 25% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (908 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (16 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for other power garden tools is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 1,103 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (411 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,441 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 5.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 6 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how other power garden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-14 | 567 | 228 | |
| 15-24 | 717 | 0 | |
| 25-34 | 246 | 302 | |
| 35-44 | 1,270 | 171 | |
| 45-54 | 983 | 163 | |
| 55-64 | 944 | 146 | |
| 65-74 | 552 | 155 | |
| 75+ | 579 | 253 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Crushing | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Hand | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
77 YOM INJURED RIB ON GARDENING TOOL DX: PAIN
18 YOM WAS USING ELECTRIC GARDEN CUTTERS/SHEARS, CUT 5TH FINGER ON LEFT HAND. DX: FINGER LAC AND FX
71YOF COMES TO THE ER FOR A WOUND CHECK. SHE STATEE SHE CUT HER FINGER WHEN USING AN ELECTRIC GARDEN TOOL, EXAM SHOWS A LACERATION OF LEFT MIDDLE FINGER. DX: LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT MIDDLE FINGER WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL
10YOM, BROUGHT BY MOTHER, WAS AT HOME HELPING HIS OLDER BROTHER DO YARDWORK JUST PRIOR TO ARRIVAL, WAS USING AN ELECTRIC GARDENING TOOL, WHEN IT ACCIDENTALLY CAUGHT HIS FINGER, DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER; OPEN FRACTURE OF DISTAL PHALANX OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER
10YOM WAS USING AN ELECTRIC GARDENING TOOL AT HOME WHEN HE ACCIDENTALLY CUT HIS RIGHT INDEX FINGER DX: OPEN FRACTURE OF FINGER, LACERATION FINGER
68YOF WAS WORKING IN HER GARDEN AND CUT FINGER USING A GARDEN TOOL. DX: LEFT FINGER LAC
65YOM PRESENTS WITH HAND TINGLING AND NUMBNESS AFTER WORKING IN HIS YARD USING POWER TOOLS. DX: IDIOPATHIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
6YOM TOUCHED SHARP PART OF ELECTRIC TRIMMER WHILE DAD WAS DOING YARD WORK DX: LACERATION OF FINGER
57 YOM C/O INJ TO WRIST/HAND AFTER HE WAS STRUCK BY HANDLE OF POWER POST HOLE DIGGER AT HOME DX CONTUSION WRIST/HAND, METACARPAL FX
20YOM WITH LAC. TO FINGER, USING ELECTRIC TOOLS.DX: TIP AMPUTATION LEFT INDEX FINGER.
33 YOF USING A GARDEN SHREDDER AND FINGER GOT CAUGHT IN THE BLADE DX AMPUTATION
49 YOM RENTED A MACHINE FOR YARD WORK YESTERDAY AND THE MACHINE JERKED PT FORWARD.DX: RIGHT SIDED LOW BACK PAIN WITH RIGHT SIDED SCIATICA
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
(06/15/2020) The consumer stated that he followed the instructions provided with the product. This was also the first time that he had used the product. The consumer had the product outside in his pasture. Also, there was no wind on that day. He started the post hole digger up and within 15 minutes, he has passed out from the exhaust gases aimed toward face. The consumer stated that he was out for a few seconds and eventually made it back to his patio to recover. The consumer stated that his wife is a critical nurse, so no other medical attention was required.
Toro handheld power head, model 51945, sn 311006335, mfg date 11-04-1. Leaking fuel from fitting in gas tank, fire hazard. Powerhead is approximatly 1 year old. Fuel tank has rubber grommet with 2 holes for fuel line and return line to pass through. Grommet appears to have shrunk and no longer seals the tank. When running fuel drips from tank. Fuel tank assy pn is 310833001.
purchased a motorized honey extractor on ebay numerous unfinished edges on metal parts sustained deep wound on my leg. The most dangerous problem is exposed 110 volt wiring in the area where the honey is extracted the frames spin at a high speed and it covers all areas !there is no ground fault protector on the ac power cord ! this product is inferior and very dangerous it is imported without any inspections !
I was sustained a serious avulsion (to the bone) using the power planterauger. The auger advertisers depicts women in shorts and completely inappropriate footwear and sockless in many videos. It also makes the claim to work in rocky soil. (It does not). It hit a rock and kicked back stricking my shin. I was dresses much more appropriate than individuals marketing the ad!
echo ea-410 earth auger, used for drilling holes to plant flowers, fence posts. When in use the exhaust gases from the motor blow directly in the face of the operator. It is a design problem.
Hello I bought a gasoline powered post hole digger from [REDACTED] item number 6062 250 they say to store it with gasoline in the tank and following their directions with the gas additive in it. I soon found out that if you do this the gas tank will explode because of improper venting of the tank. If it wouldve done this while running it wouldve been a huge fireball. The fuel tank of this model should be recalled or taken off the market I have tried to contact them and so far they have not gotten back to me and it has been months.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to other power garden tools on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are other power garden tools?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, other power garden tools have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 364 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from other power garden tools?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 1,103 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from other power garden tools increasing or decreasing?
Down 25% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for other power garden tools injuries?
The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,441 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by other power garden tools?
Of all ER visits involving other power garden tools, approximately 5.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with other power garden 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 Lawn & Garden 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 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.
