Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Poles ranks #137 of 838 by danger score (41/100) at ER-volume #57 of 838 (44,822/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #137
- danger rank of 838
- #57
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 41/100
- danger score
- 44,822/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 (41/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
41 Higher than most more dangerous than 79% 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: 55/100
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) | 4 | 37th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 44,822 | 94th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -6% | 57th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 2 | 25th | 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 896,499 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1865. Segments sum to 896,499 - 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 Building Materials & Home Structures 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.
Building Materials & Home Structures danger scores
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for poles - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 44,822 ER visits/yr Very high volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 4.0% Below median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.04% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trend-6%
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 poles are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (61,487 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (29,245 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 139,918 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (112,357 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 335,066 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 4.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.04%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how poles 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 | 37,994 | 19,256 | |
| 5-14 | 229,318 | 105,665 | |
| 15-24 | 112,061 | 57,118 | |
| 25-34 | 55,171 | 32,380 | |
| 35-44 | 38,990 | 23,372 | |
| 45-54 | 37,033 | 22,803 | |
| 55-64 | 28,357 | 21,440 | |
| 65-74 | 19,071 | 18,743 | |
| 75+ | 17,351 | 20,061 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
8 YOM FOREHEAD CONTUSION AFTER RUNNING INTO A POLE AT SCHOOL. HAS SWELLING OF FOREHEAD. DX: FOREHEAD CONTUSION
4YOF WAS INVOLVED IN A MVA. HER GRANDMOTHER WAS DRIVING, THEY WERE GOING APPROXIMATELY 20MPH AND THEY HIT SOME ICE AND HIT A POLE. DX: CERVICAL STRAIN
11YOF WAS INVOLVED IN A MVA. HER GRANDMOTHER WAS DRIVING AND THEY WERE GOING 20MPH AND HIT SOME ICE AND DROVE INTO A POLE. DX: KNEE STRAIN, LIP LACERATION, HAND PAIN
30 YOF REPORTS MVA AFTER HER CAR SLIPPED ON THE ICE HITTING A TELEPHONE POLE AT 11 MPH. RESTRAINED DRIVER WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. REPORTS SORENESS TO L UPPER SHIN. DX: CONTUSION L SHIN.
10YOF WITH LAC. TO SCALP, FELL AT SCHOOL. STATES SHE AND HER FRIENDS BENT TO GRAB SOMETHING OFF THE FLOOR AND SHE HIT HER HEAD ON A POLE.DX: SINGLE SUPERFICIAL LAC. SCALP.
70YOF COMPLAINS OF PAIN IN RIGHT ARM AFTER A MVC. THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK AND SHE DROVE INTO A POLE AT ***. COMPLAINS OF PAIN IN WRIST AND SHOULDER. DX: MULTIPLE CONTUSIONS, STRAIN, SPRAIN OF WRIST, SPRAIN OF SHOULDER
15 YOM S/P SLEDDING ACCIDENT TODAY. HE WAS SLEDDING WHEN HE STRUCK A POLE HITTING HIS HEAD. NO LOC. SCALP LACERATION EXTENDING FROM MID FRONTAL HAIR LINE TO LEFT POSTERIOR PARIETAL REGION, FULL THICKNESS WITH EXPOSED APONEUROSIS. DX SCALP LACERATION
9YOF CHILD HIT HER HEAD ON A METAL POLE WHEN A GUSH OF WIND CAUSED THE INJURY DX: HEAD TRAUMA IN PEDIATRIC PATIENT, CONCUSSION WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
59YOF WAS WALKING DOWNTOWN AND WALKED DIRECTLY INTO A POLE HITTING HER NOSE DX: CONTUSION OF NOSE
73YOM PT LEANED OVER & STRUCK FOREHEAD ON METAL POLE DX: EYEBROW LAC
12 YOM. CHEST PAIN AFTER PT WAS RUNNING & RAN INTO POLE. DX: CONTUSION OF CHEST WALL
93 YOM HAD A MECHANICAL FALL WHILE AMBULATING WITH HIS WALKER, HITTING HEAD ON A POLE. DX: FALL, SCALP LACERATION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
While removing a ceiling light bulb with the long pole the threaded portion at the top of the pole broke off and the bulb and attached catcher came crashing down.
An 86 YOF decedent lived in a nursing facility. She was trying to get to bathroom. It was dark. The pole was mounted next to a bed with a gap between the pole and the bed. The decedent became trapped between the bed and pole. When she tried to free herself she pitched forward, apparently fractured her neck, and died.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to poles on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Building Materials & Home Structures
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Poles: cross-group products nearest on danger score (41/100), estimated annual ER visits (44,822/yr), and hospitalization share (4.0%). 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.
- Electric Chandeliers Or Other Attached Light Fixtures Home Furnishings & Fixtures 4.0%admitted
- Playpens Nursery & Baby Products 4.0%admitted
- Automotive Tools Or Accessories Home Communication & Entertainment 3.9%admitted
- Horseshoes (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) Sports & Recreation Equipment 3.9%admitted
Related Products in Building Materials & Home Structures
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, Poles ranks #137 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #57 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does poles rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, poles ranks #137 by PlainSafety danger score (41/100) and #57 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (44,822/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from poles?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 139,918 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from poles increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for poles injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 335,066 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by poles?
Of all ER visits involving poles, approximately 4.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with poles?
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.