Pliers, Wire Cutters Or Wrenches
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 857
Down 21% over 5 years
The verdict
Pliers, Wire Cutters Or Wrenches carry a danger score of 35/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 11,372 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 21% over the last five years.
- 35/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 11,372
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 857 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 35/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for pliers, wire cutters or wrenches - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume11,372 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-21%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Pliers, Wire Cutters Or Wrenches (CPSC product code 857, in the Home Communication & Entertainment category) generate an estimated 11,372 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 227,431 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 35/100 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 21% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (15,096 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (7,537 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for pliers, wire cutters or wrenches is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 30,238 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (21,772 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 50,864 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 1.9% 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 pliers, wire cutters or wrenches 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 | 2,883 | 1,370 | |
| 5-14 | 5,865 | 1,654 | |
| 15-24 | 34,973 | 4,164 | |
| 25-34 | 46,851 | 4,013 | |
| 35-44 | 40,444 | 3,901 | |
| 45-54 | 33,840 | 3,294 | |
| 55-64 | 20,550 | 2,045 | |
| 65-74 | 11,140 | 1,536 | |
| 75+ | 7,940 | 968 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Mouth | Dental Injury | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
25YOM C/O SHOULDER/ARM PROBLEM. I WAS WORKING ON A CAR PULLING ON A WRENCH AND IT SLIPPED AND I HEARD A LOUD POP IN MY SHOULDER. NOW UNABLE TO LIFT ARM. SHOULDER SWELLING WITH LIMITED ROM NOTED ON PHYSICAL EXAM. RADOIGRAPH INDICATES NO ACUTE BONY ABNORMALITY. DX: PAIN IN LEFT SHOULDER
58YOM, C/O FACIAL INJURY, PT WAS USING A WRENCH WHEN IT SLIPPED AND HIT HIM IN THE FACE. DX:FACIAL INJURY
46 YOM HERE FOR LACERATION ON HIS LEFT RING FINGER. HE WAS USING A WRENCH PUTTING IN A MEW TOILET WHEN HE TURNED THE WRENCH TOO HARD CAUSING THE TOILET TO BREAK. DX: LACERATION OF HIS LEFT RING FINGER
44YOM INJURED HIS RIGHT THUMB A FEW DAYS AGO. HIS HAND SLIPPED WHILE USING A WRENCH WHEN WORKING ON A VEHICLE. DX: RIGHT FINGER INJURY
28YOM COMPLAINS OF MUSCOSKELETAL CHEST PAIN. HE WAS WORKING ON A CAR AND USING A RATCHET WHEN HE FELT A SHARP PULL. WHEN HE LIFTS HIS ARM IT HURTS WORSE AND BECOMES SHORT OF BREATH. DX: MUSCLE STRAIN, MUSCOSKETAL PAIN
42YOM LAC TO FINGER WHEN STRIPPING A WIRE AT GIRLFRIENDS HOUSE AND SLIPPED WITH WIRE CUTTERSDX FINGER LAC
53 YOM WAS USING BOLT CUTTERS YESTERDAY AND WHILE SQUEEZING HEARD A POP AND FELT IMMEDIATE PAIN ON HIS R LOWER RIBCAGE. DX: CHEST PAIN. PT ELOPED.
46YOM,WORKING UNDER A TRUCK AN A WRENCH FELL ONTO FACE,DX:FAC LAC
32 YOM WAS WORKING ON HIS CAR WHEN THE WRENCH SLIPPED AND HIT HIM IN THE FINGER. DX: LACERATION LEFT RING FINGER WITH FOREIGN BODY
42YOM PT WAS HIT IN RT FOREHEAD BY FALLING SOCKET WHILE WORKING UNDER A CAR DX: LAC OF FOREHEAD
51YOM WAS WORKING ON HIS CAR WHEN THE WRENCH SLIPPED CUTTING FINGER. DX: TRAUMATIC FINGER AMPUTATION
52YOM PRESENTING WITH WORSENING PAIN. PT STATES THAT HE DROPPED A WRENCH ON HIS LEG 5 DAYS PRIOR. ALSO STATES THAT HE FELL OFF A BICYCLE 3 WEEKS AGO AND SUSTAINED RIGHT WRIST INJURY. PLACED HIMSELF IN A WRIST BRACE AND DID NOT SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION AT THE TIME OF THE INJURY. DX: DISTAL RADIUS FX.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
product was being used to strip coaxial cable (its intended purpose) my finger slipped from one end of the tool while spinning it around the cable, causing my finger to come in to contact with the blades on the inside of the handle, slicing my index finger (1/8-1/4" deep, about 1/2 inch across) causing a bit of pain and a lot of blood. Stitches were not required. I am filing this report after reading product reviews from many different users at amazon.com who have had similar problems. here are the reviews: http://www.amazon.com/DataShark-70029-Universal-Cutter-Stripper/product-reviews/B000HRWOTQ/
: To whom it may concern, on May 6th I was doing some work in my garage to some lawn equipment and was using the snap on 1/4 battery operated ratchet. When starting to assemble the equipment the ratchet sparked and ignited fumes and engulfed my face in fire. I suffered 2nd degree burns to my entire face, and also burns to my chest and arms. The doctors said it's a miracle I can still see. If you need to contact me I am available and also have pictures through the different stages of the burns. I have sent the tool out twice to be repaired and then this occurs. I have been a dedicated snap on customer for years now and I feel this is unacceptable. I am just now finally getting over the side effects of the burn however my eyes are still sensitive to the sun and when trying to relax at a beach or a pool they burn and I have to sit with my face in a blanket or shirt to block the sun.
On April 19, 2018 I was using this ratchet to loosen a fastener when the ratchet head exploded (had a catastrophic failure) causing my right pointer finger to break at the finger tip and injury to my nail bed. Please note Milwaukee has redesigned this tool and made the part that broke much bigger, thicker and robust but still have this model out on the market. THIS TOOL IS NOT SAFE. We have had a comparable [REDACTED] tool for 15 years with no issue doing the same type of work. A wrench should never fail in this manner.
I was installing a TV mount,I started tightening one of the bolts/screws and the socket wrench slipped and recoiled right out of my hands and hit my mouth.splitting my lip and almost knocking out my whole right front tooth,it is chipped very badly and the nerve is exposed.
Late Nov. 2012, I purchased through Lowes Web-Site a Wire stripping/cutting tool to replace my old ones. According the web-site there were NO hazards or warning to this tool purchased from their Electrical dept. The tool look very close to my old one and look insulated. The tool was purchased, ordered and picked up from Lowes (by our employee) and delivered to my desk. I saw this tool later on in the day on my desk. I picked up the tool, inspected the spring, took off my gloves and placed them inside my tool bag. On March 1st 2013 I went to use them for the first time feeling very confident this tool will do the job required, as I trusted products before even by other companies. I was electrocuted with 277volts, passed out while on a 8 foot ladder as the electricity held on to me. I came to laying on the concrete with my right foot in pain. Was taken to the Hospital, and they stated the heel had multi-fractures needed surgery as soon as possible. The following Tuesday my Wife pick up my tools from Security Office and brought them home. I examined the wire strippers, grab a magnifier and saw small writing on the inside handle written in yellow the same color as the handle itself (yellow) "Warning do not use on live circuits". I called the employee who has delivered the tool to my desk and asked, were there any labels, signage or anything that would have indicated warnings? The answer was No, the way they left it on my desk is how it was picked up from Lowes. The tool was manufactured by Ideal Co. USA. I called Lowes later within 2 months after the incident and man stated it was a manufacturer/product issue and they were not going to do anything about it. So, in my opinion Lowes falsified/failed to warn of this product regardless just to sell a product and not be concerned at all about Safety. If anyone knows of a Florida Attorney that would assist me in this issue, please have them contact me. Thank You, [REDACTED]
https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/hand-tools/pliers-plier-sets/tool-shop-reg-4-piece-mini-snap-ring-pliers/p-1444421803963.htm this tool.... first time i squeezed it..(the blue ones with longer springs than red) the spring flew out and hit me right in the eyebrow.missed my eye by a 1/2"..still bleeding though... after tending to my head i tried the other one at arms length..it flew out too. the springs are to long
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to pliers, wire cutters or wrenches on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are pliers, wire cutters or wrenches?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, pliers, wire cutters or wrenches have a danger score of 35/100 (low risk). An estimated 11,372 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from pliers, wire cutters or wrenches?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 30,238 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from pliers, wire cutters or wrenches increasing or decreasing?
Down 21% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for pliers, wire cutters or wrenches injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 50,864 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by pliers, wire cutters or wrenches?
Of all ER visits involving pliers, wire cutters or wrenches, approximately 1.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with pliers, wire cutters or wrenches?
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 35/100 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 25-34 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.
