Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Radiators (excluding Vehicle Radiators) ranks #173 of 838 by danger score (40/100) at ER-volume #219 of 838 (8,981/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #173
- danger rank of 838
- #219
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 40/100
- danger score
- 8,981/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 (40/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
40 Higher than most more dangerous than 75% 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: 58/100
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) | 10 | 76th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 8,981 | 70th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -14% | 44th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 1 | 18th | 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 179,628 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 379. Segments sum to 179,628 - 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 Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares 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.
Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares danger scores
How this 40/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 8,981 ER visits/yr Above median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 9.3% High admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.05% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trend-14%
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 radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) are declining by about 14% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (11,675 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (6,761 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the head, accounting for approximately 34,305 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (25,102 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 53,420 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 9.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.05%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) 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 | 33,672 | 19,704 | |
| 5-14 | 21,329 | 10,744 | |
| 15-24 | 6,248 | 5,061 | |
| 25-34 | 7,212 | 6,012 | |
| 35-44 | 6,681 | 5,015 | |
| 45-54 | 6,512 | 6,619 | |
| 55-64 | 7,550 | 6,598 | |
| 65-74 | 4,169 | 5,111 | |
| 75+ | 7,029 | 14,301 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Arm | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Toe | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Burn, Scald |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
22MOM GRABBED HOT RADIATOR AT AUNTS HOUSE, DX IS DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED, DX BURN TO HAND
53YOM PRESENTS INTOXICATED ON ALCOHOL AFTER HAVING MULTIPLE FALLS THROUGHOUT THE PAST WEEK, HAS DRANK ROUGHLY 18 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY; WITH ONE OF THE FALLS HE IMPACTED HIS CHEST ON A RADIATOR AT HOME CAUSING BRUISING TO HIS RIBS, BAC=397.3 DX: ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION
58YOM WITH LEFT ELBOW PAIN AFTER FALL. PT ALSO REPORTS PRESSING HIS ELBOW INTO A RADIATOR SUFFERING A SUPERFICIAL BURN TO ELBOW. DX: LEFT ELBOW PAIN
11MOM WITH BURN TO FACE AFTER PT WAS BEING WATCHED BY GRANDMA AND AUNT AND PT ROLLED OFF THE BED ONTO RADIATOR AND SUSTAINED BURNS TO FACE AND HAND DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF FACE
59 YOM PRESENTS WITH A HAND INFECTION AND REQUEST FOR DETOX EVALUATION. HE DRINKS ALCOHOL DAILY AND USES HEROIN, LAST INTAKE YESTERDAY. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHILE INTOXICATED, HE FELL AND HIS HANDS LANDED ON A RADIATOR. HE HAS BEEN TREATING THE BURNS AT HOME BUT PRESENTS WITH WORSENED PAIN AND DRAINAGE. BAC < 10 UDS +FENTANYL DX HAND WOUNDS, ALCOHOL USE DISORDER, OPIATE USE DISORDER
15MOF TOUCHED A HOT RADIATOR AT HOME WITH LEFT HAND DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF HAND
85YOM PRESENTS AFTER A FALL TO THE GROUND WHILE PLACING CLOTHES ON HIS RADIATOR AND TURNING TO QUICKLY. DX: ANKLE FRACTURE
94YOM PRESENTS AFTER A TRIP AND FALL WITH HEAD STRIKE ON THE RADIATOR AT HOME. DX: FALL
50YOM PRESNETED FOR AN EVAL OF RT HAND SWELLING X2 DAYS AFTER HE BURNT HIMSELF TOUCHING A RADIATOR. DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN OF RT AHND
94YOM, HISTORY OF DEMENTIA, TRIPPED OVER THE RADIATOR IN THE BATHROOM AT NURSING FACILITY AND FELL STRIKING HEAD ONTO TOILET, POSITIVE FOR SKIN TEAR TO PARIETAL AREA OF HEAD, DX: FALL, INTIAL ENCOUNTER
65YOF FELL HITTING HEAD ON RADIATOR, FOUND DOWN BY SON. PT DIED IN THE ED DX: SEPTIC SHOCK
2YOF WAS CLIMBING ON FURNITURE WHEN SHE FELL BACKWARDS STRIKING HER HEAD ON THE RADIATOR AT HOME DX: SCALP LACERATION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Product has worked fine for 2 1/2 years. An occasional pop when first turned on but that's it. When I turned it on Saturday, after about 30 seconds, it popped loudly twice and 2 large sparks came from the bottom of the panel. I shut it off and unplugged it. I turned it back on an hour later and then there was a series of 8-10 large sparks and pops along the bottom of the panel. It didn't catch fire but looked like it was about to. No injuries, no damage.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Radiators (excluding Vehicle Radiators): cross-group products nearest on danger score (40/100), estimated annual ER visits (8,981/yr), and hospitalization share (9.3%). 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.
- Stairs Or Steps Building Materials & Home Structures 9.3%admitted
- Power Pruning Or Trimming Equipment, Not Specified Lawn & Garden Equipment 9.3%admitted
- Paints, Varnishes Or Shellacs Home Workshop Tools & Equipment 9.4%admitted
- Automatic Doors Or Door Openers Laundry & Household Appliances 9.2%admitted
Related Products in Kitchen Small Appliances & Housewares
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, Radiators (excluding Vehicle Radiators) ranks #173 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #219 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) ranks #173 by PlainSafety danger score (40/100) and #219 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (8,981/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from radiators (excluding vehicle radiators)?
The most common injury is laceration to the head, accounting for approximately 34,305 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) increasing or decreasing?
Down 14% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for radiators (excluding vehicle radiators) injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 53,420 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by radiators (excluding vehicle radiators)?
Of all ER visits involving radiators (excluding vehicle radiators), approximately 9.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with radiators (excluding vehicle radiators)?
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.