Projectors
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 Structures & Construction Materials · CPSC Code 549
Up 12% over 5 years
The verdict
Projectors carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 184 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 12% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 184
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 549 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for projectors - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume184 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.2%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+12%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Projectors (CPSC product code 549, in the Home Structures & Construction Materials category) generate an estimated 184 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 3,688 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 rising by about 12% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2009 (317 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2017 (20 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for projectors is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 584 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (403 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 834 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 3.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 11 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how projectors 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 | 255 | 29 | |
| 5-14 | 605 | 229 | |
| 15-24 | 243 | 219 | |
| 25-34 | 440 | 204 | |
| 35-44 | 319 | 227 | |
| 45-54 | 285 | 170 | |
| 55-64 | 95 | 198 | |
| 65-74 | 45 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 82 | 48 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Toe | Crushing | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Avulsion | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
70YOM WAS AT A PLANETARY WHEN AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR BURST WHICH CONTAINED MERCURY AND MERCURY SPILLED ONTO DOWN ON TOP OF HIM DX: CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
28YOM WAS AT A PLANETARY WHEN AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR BURST WHICH CONTAINED MERCURY AND MERCURY SPILLED ONTO DOWN ON TOP OF HIM DX: CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
25YOF WAS AT A PLANETARY WHEN AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR BURST WHICH CONTAINED MERCURY AND MERCURY SPILLED ONTO DOWN ON TOP OF HER DX: CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
3YOM WAS AT HOME PULLING ON AN ELECTRICAL CORD ATTACHED TO A VIDEO PROJECTOR THAT WAS SITTING ON TOP OF DRESSER 3FT ABOVE PT. PROJECTOR FELL OFF THE DRESSER AND HIT PT ON THE FRONT / SIDE OF HEAD. PT DID NOT FALL, IMMEDIATELY CRIED. DX: ACUTE CHI
3YOF WAS SLEEPING IN BED WHEN A SMALL PROJECTOR FELL ONTO THE PATIENT'S HEAD DX: FACE LACERATION, HEMATOMA FOREHEAD *
15MOM IN BROTHERS ROOM AND A PROJECTOR FELL ON PTS HEAD. DX: FACE LACERATION
3YOM WITH X3 HEAD INJURIES IN 24 HOURS:
13YOF PRESENTS AFTER A WALL MOUNTED PROJECTOR FELL ON TOP OF HER HEAD AND LEFT SHOULDER AT SCHOOL. DX: HEAD INJURY
22YOF DROPPED A 5 POUND PROJECTOR ONTO HER FOOT DX;LT FOOT CONTUSION
44YOF WAS HANGING AN OUTDOOR SCREEN PROJECTOR ON A STEP STOOL ON HER FRONT PORCH WHEN THE STOOL GAVE OUT AND SHE FELL BACKWARDS. PATIENT HIT THE TOP OF HER HEAD ON THE GROUND AND THEN HER LEFT WRIST. PT REPORTS DRINKING- NO BAL NOTED. DX: TYPE I OR II OPEN FRACTURE OF DISTAL END OF BOTH RADIUS AND ULNA OF LEFT UPPER EXTREMITY; ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION.
74 YOM PRESENTS WITH COMPLAINT OF SHOULDER PAIN. PT STATES THE DAY BEFORE ARRIVAL HE WAS LIFTING A 35 POUND PROJECTOR AND NOTED PAIN IN SHOULDER. DX: CLAVICLE FRACTURE
28 YOM WAS TRYING TO HANG A PROJECTOR WHEN HE LOST BALANCE AND FELL STEPPING THROUGH TAPER GLASS, SUSTAINED LACERATION TO HIS LEFT ACHILLES TENDON, DX: LACERATION OF LEFT ACHILLES TENDON
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I left a box with a toy art projector outside for a neighbor to pick up for her child. A short while later, I opened my front door and smelled something similar to burned rubber. I looked at the bag with the toy and there literally was smoke coming out of the bag. The plastic on the on the toy began to melt and smoke. The temperature where I am in is 80 degrees today. It is very worrisome that a children's toy will do that.
I purchased a projector from Amazon. Brand is SWZA, model number V509. The projector is manufactured by Sichuan Coolux Technology Co., Ltd. I was plugging in an HDMI cord and was shocked. After investigation, I confirmed with a multimeter that there is excessive current coming from the HDMI and USB ports. Multimeter has it at 64.2 volts. This is well outside of the specification for both USB and HDMI.
I just bought a little hand projector to put slides in and look at them. It takes two AAs they got hot within 10 seconds and I am talking extremely hot. If you look at the reviews, other people have also had this problem. This is extremely dangerous. You could not I mean Im talking within seconds. They got hot to where you couldnt touch them
The consumer says the projector bulb caught fire after a few minutes of being installed and turned on. The consumer says he contacted the manufacturer and they reached a settlement. The consumer says he unplugged the unit and the fire went out. The consumer says he has a video of the fire and pictures of damage to the bulb. After the bulbs were returned Apex lamps balked on the agreement.
Magic Diamonds Projection Lamp (toy). Projection lamp includes option for USB power AND three AA batteries. Product was a bday gift for 12 year old. She inserted batteries as instructed and also plugged the lamp into the wall using the USB cable. Using BOTH power supplies caused the AA batteries to malfunction and leak battery acid. She had minor burns from the battery acid from picking the toy up and not realizing what happened. The instructions do not say that you cannot use BOTH batteries and USB, but clearly having both power sources caused the battery to malfunction.
I am reporting a fire incident involving a Nebula Capsule 3 Laser portable projector. The product was being used in my apartment for normal home entertainment purposes. The projector was idle at the time of the incident but was plugged into power, which is typical consumer use for this type of device. On October 2nd 2025, around 1PM PST, the projector suddenly overheated and began to smoke and burn. I was present when this occurred and observed active combustion from the device. I immediately removed the projector from my apartment to prevent further damage or potential injury. After the incident, I contacted the manufacturer (Nebula / Anker Innovations) and provided proof of purchase, the product serial number, photographs of the damaged device, and a detailed description of the event. Despite this information, the manufacturer has repeatedly declined to proceed with a safety investigation unless I provide a fire department incident report or written confirmation from a fire station. No emergency response occurred because the fire was contained immediately and did not require dispatch. Over an extended period of time, the manufacturer has continued to require documentation that does not exist and has not initiated a substantive safety review of the incident. I am submitting this report due to concerns about the safety of this product, particularly the risk of fire while the device is idle or connected to power, and to help prevent potential harm to other consumers.
We bought he Discovery Kids Wall and Ceiling Art Projector as a gift for our 7-year-old daughter. The projector calls for four AA batteries to be inserted. The batteries do not fit securely in the battery holder. They are loose. So because there is space between the battery ends and the metal plate and coils, electricity arcs and Sparks. We noticed the sparks and removed the batteries. But this is clearly a fire hazard.
Benq digital projectors. Benq Digital Projector PDFBF01949000 MW632ST November 2015 Burned at outlet to projector connection Benq Digital Projector PDFBF02001000 MW632ST November 2015 Burned at outlet to projector connection Benq Digital Projector PDN9C01597001 MX518 September 2012 Burned at outlet to projector connection
Showing 8 of 11 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to projectors on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are projectors?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, projectors have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 184 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from projectors?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 584 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from projectors increasing or decreasing?
Up 12% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for projectors injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 834 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by projectors?
Of all ER visits involving projectors, approximately 3.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with projectors?
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 Structures & Construction Materials
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 5-14 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.
