Power Lawn Mowers, Not Specified
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 1401
Down 19% over 5 years
The verdict
Power Lawn Mowers, Not Specified carry a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 16,215 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 19% over the last five years.
- 41/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 16,215
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 45-54
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1401 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for power lawn mowers, not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume16,215 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.7%
- Fatality rate0.08%
- 5-year trend-19%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Power Lawn Mowers, Not Specified (CPSC product code 1401, in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category) generate an estimated 16,215 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 324,292 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 41/100 for this category (moderate 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 19% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2008 (22,612 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (9,756 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for power lawn mowers, not specified is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 34,680 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by amputation to the finger (26,508 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 60,620 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 9.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.08%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 42 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how power lawn mowers, not specified 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 | 8,112 | 3,190 | |
| 5-14 | 9,656 | 2,562 | |
| 15-24 | 27,053 | 4,927 | |
| 25-34 | 35,397 | 10,811 | |
| 35-44 | 46,091 | 12,625 | |
| 45-54 | 47,366 | 13,254 | |
| 55-64 | 35,026 | 10,708 | |
| 65-74 | 25,912 | 8,091 | |
| 75+ | 19,146 | 4,359 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Finger | Amputation | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Toe | Amputation | |
| Eyeball | Foreign Body | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Burns, Thermal | |
| Toe | Fracture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
70YOF ARRIVES WITH BURN TO LOWER LEG AND RIGHT FINGER. SHE WAS TRYING TO PUT GAS IN THE LAWNMOWER WHEN IT FLASHED AND CAUGHT HER LEG ON FIRE. UNKNOWN IF FD WAS CALLED. DX: SECOND DEGREE BURN OF LOWER EXTREMITY
53 YOM TO ED WITH REDNESS TO HIS R EYE. REPORTS HE WAS PULLING ON HIS MOWING MACHINE YESTERDAY AND HAS BEEN SNEEZING HARD. DENIES ANY VISION CHANGES. DX: SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HEMORRHAGE.
31YOM WAS OPERATING LAWN MOWER, SOMETHING WAS STUCK IN LAWN MOWER AND PT WENT TO REMOVE IT AND BLADES SLICED OFF TIPS OF FINGERS DX: FINGERTIP AVULSION
25 YOM MOWING YARD AND ROCK HIT HIM IN L EYE DX; CORNEAL ABRASION
59YOM WAS LIFING A LAWNMOWER AND FELL ON THE THE FENDER. OF VEHICLE HAS CUT TO LOWER LIP DX LACERATION TO LIP
71YOM GOT HIS RIGHT INDEX FINGER SMASHED IN A LAWNMOVER BLADE DX:OPEN FRACTURE TO FINGER
69YOM, C/O RIGHT EYE INJURY, CUTTING GRASS W/ LAWNMOWER, STICK HIT HIM IN RIGHT EYE, PULLED STICK OUT & BLEEDING BEGAN DX: RIGHT INTRAGLOBAL HEMORRHAGE
46YOF HAD A POWER LAWN MOWER RUN OVER RIGHT GREAT TOE DX:AMPUTATION OF RIGHT GREAT TOE
25 YOM REPORTS LAWNMOWER BECAME CLOGGED, AND WITHOUT TURNING THE BLADES OFF HE REACHED INTO THE INJECTION PORT FOR THE CLIPPED GRASS, AND HIS RIGHT INDEX FINGER WAS STRUCK BY ONE OF THE BLADES. DX: FINGER AMPUTATION TRAUMATIC, LACERATION OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER.
24 YOM BURNT HAND BY TOUCHING HOT LAWNMOWER ENGING DX THERMAL BURN HAND
43 YOM. RT TESTICULAR PAIN AFTER PULLING OUT THE POWER TO A LAWN MOWER, & PT WAS STRUCK. DX: CONTUSION OF SCROTUM & TESTES
41YOM WITH LACERATION TO RIGHT INDEX FINGER AFTER IT GOT CAUGHT IN LAWNMOWER BLADES. PT REPORTS HE WAS CLEARING OUT A LAWNMOWER WHEN IT STARTED WORKING AND HIT HIS FINGER. DX: OPEN COMMINUTED FRACTURE OF DISTAL PHALANX OF FINGER; LACERATION OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY WITH DAMAGE TO NAIL.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
(09/03/2020) The lawn mower charger (not lawn mower) caught on fire while charging. I think the lawn mower batteries got short circuited. It's in for repair. The light on the charger never came on. The consumer stated that a green light come on when the charger is plugged in. The light turns red while charging, then green again when the charge is complete. The consumer plugged in the charger. When he returned to the lawn mower about 10 minutes later and picked up the charger, it sparked and flames came from it.
On September 01, 2019 cutting my lawn the right rear wheel came off, broke off of the axle, mower leaned towards the right/ground causing me to fall onto my right shoulder onto the ground. Wondering if this incident has happened before to any other Snapper owner with the rear wheel breaking off of the axle. As such I contacted Snapper, (Briggs & Stratton) their response was for me to have the mower checked out by any authorized Snapper Service Center. According to Snapper it was said if the Snapper Service Center felt the failure was due to a defect they can obtain assistance from Snapper for the cost of repair to the mower. If they do not find an issue the dealer would bill me for the repair. CRM:[REDACTED] I would assume that the Snapper Service Center would charge me for the time to inspect the axle and wheel, I do feel that the Snapper Service Center should remove the axle install a new axle and wheel at the expense of the Snapper, (Briggs & Stratton) Company and ship both the damaged axle and wheel to the Snapper, (Briggs & Stratton) Company as this should not have happened unless there was a problem/defect with the axle. I feel that the Snapper Company, (Briggs & Stratton) should either repair my lawn mower at their expense, replace my lawn mower with the same type of lawn mower or reimburse my money of $796.82 which includes MA State Tax. I do not expect this to happen, but it should. There was a Three (3) year warranty on this lawn mower, had it for 4 years, 4 months. You may release my name and contact information to the product manufacturer, this Lawn Mower was not a safe product for me to have owned.
Last week my lawn guy put a fully charged battery into my greenworks mower, model 25302. there was a flash of fire, followed by smoke and the mower died. today i learned that this model mower was recalled in 2017. The mower came with my house so i am not the original purchaser, but the previous owner is a conscientous and safety minded person, so she certainly would have responded to a recall notice if Lowes or the manufacturer would have contacted her.
Lawnmower caught on fire and burned up while mowing grass.
Caller stated that the gas tank cap on the lawn mower came off and gas dispersed on the engine while in use which can cause a fire. He stated that the cap was unstable since he purchased it. The manufacturer was contacted and he was advised that they did not have a gas tank cap in stock. Caller stated that the gas cap is poorly designed which cannot be secured on the tank. Caller feels that this unit is a fire hazard and should be reported.
Gas tank leaks when over 1/2 full Sears repaired leak, no charge, but leak soon reappeared Sears refuses to repair again
I was mowing my front lawn when I noticed an odd smell. The mower briefly stopped and then resumed cutting. The smell increased and I then noticed flames coming out of the battery compartment of the mower. I then used my garden hose to extinguish the flames.
The gas cap for my lawnmower (purchased in 2019) has never fit tightly and is prone to come off and spatter gas about. It recently came off and was lost and a factory authorized cap was put in place but it leaked from the onset creating what I view to be a rather dangerous situation with gas leaking and splattering about.
Showing 8 of 42 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to power lawn mowers, not specified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are power lawn mowers, not specified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, power lawn mowers, not specified have a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 16,215 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from power lawn mowers, not specified?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 34,680 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from power lawn mowers, not specified increasing or decreasing?
Down 19% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for power lawn mowers, not specified injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 60,620 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by power lawn mowers, not specified?
Of all ER visits involving power lawn mowers, not specified, approximately 9.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with power lawn mowers, not specified?
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 41/100 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 45-54 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.