CPSC NEISS · code 709

Safes

Safes: danger rank #482 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #398 of 838 (2,280 estimated ER visits a year; roughly flat over the last five years).

Home Heating & Cooling Equipment CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Safes ranks #482 of 838 by danger score (34/100) at ER-volume #398 of 838 (2,280/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#482
danger rank of 838
#398
ER-volume rank of 838
34/100
danger score
2,280/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 (34/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

34 Lower than most lower than 57% 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: 48/100

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.

C
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 4 34th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 2,280 50th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -10% 51st 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 39 67th 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 45,615 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 709. Segments sum to 45,615 - 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 Home Heating & Cooling Equipment 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.

Home Heating & Cooling Equipment danger scores

1. Fire Escape Devices48/1002. Electric Timers44/1003. Fire Or Smoke Alarms40/1004. Safes34/1005. Carbon Monoxide Detectors33/1006. Padlocks, Chain Locks Or …33/1007. Burglar Alarms33/1008. Fire Extinguishers33/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10034/100
PlainSafety danger score · Safes

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 34/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for safes - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 2,280 ER visits/yr Above median volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 4.0% Below median admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
  • 5-year trend-10%

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 safes are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (3,358 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (983 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is fracture to the finger, accounting for approximately 3,471 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the lower trunk (3,076 cases). The 35-44 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 8,147 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.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 39 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how safes 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)

01K2K3K4K 20052008201120142017202020232024 3K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Safes, CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 2,737 1,341 4,078
5-14 981 724 1,705
15-24 3,774 2,119 5,893
25-34 5,047 2,696 7,743
35-44 5,100 3,047 8,147
45-54 4,861 2,201 7,062
55-64 3,263 1,612 4,875
65-74 1,727 1,566 3,293
75+ 1,500 1,303 2,803

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Finger Fracture 3,471
Lower Trunk Strain, Sprain 3,076
Foot Contusions, Abr. 2,736
Finger Laceration 2,386
Lower Trunk Other 2,130
Head Internal Injury 1,811
Hand Contusions, Abr. 1,758
Face Laceration 1,554
Finger Contusions, Abr. 1,167
Head Laceration 1,002
Toe Fracture 890
Upper Trunk Contusions, Abr. 865
Upper Trunk Other 849
Foot Fracture 800
Head Contusions, Abr. 787

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 94.3% (43,011)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 2.7% (1,240)
Treated And Transferred 1.4% (631)
Left Without Being Seen 1.1% (506)
Held For Observation 0.5% (227)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 59 · Female · Toe · Fracture · 2024

59YOF WITH RIGHT FOOT PAIN. WAS WALKING DOWN A DARK HALL WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY KICKED A METAL SAFE ON THE FLOOR. HAS HAD RIGHT 4TH TOE PAIN SINCE. DX: FRACTURE LESSER TOE PROXIMAL PHALANX DISPLACED CLOSED INITIAL RIGHT

Age 44 · Female · Finger · Avulsion · 2024

44YOF DROPPED A SAFE ON FINGERDX FINGER AVULSION

Age 16 · Female · Knee · Other · 2024

16YOF C/O LEFT KNEE PAIN AND SWELLING, AFTER SHE WAS MOVING A SAFE AT HOME. DX: LEFT KNEE PAIN

Age 62 · Female · Foot · Laceration · 2024

62YOF STATES DROPPED A SAFE AND THE KEY TO THE SAFE CUT LEFT TOE DX FOOT LACERATION

Age 31 · Male · Upper Trunk · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

31 YOM C/O LOW BACK PAIN AFTER MOVING SAFE FELL BACKWARDS ONTO FLOOR DX CONTUSION UPPER BACK

Age 19 · Male · Face · Laceration · 2024

19YOM PT HAD ARGUMENT WITH SIGNIFICATN OTHER & STRUCK SELF IN THE HEAD WITH A SAFE DX; LAC OF FOREHEAD

Age 49 · Female · Finger · Fracture · 2024

49 YOF SLAMMED THUMB IN A DOOR OF A SAFE EARLIER TODAY. DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT THUMB, OPEN DISPLACED FRACTURE RIGHT THUMB.

Age 68 · Male · Neck · Nerve Damage · 2024

68 YOM AT HOME CARRYING A SAFE, LOST HIS BALANCE AND FELL HITTING HIS HEAD/FOREHEAD WITH INJURY TO NECK +SMALL LAC TO FOREHEAD. C/O WEAKNESS IN ARMS AND LEGS DX CENTRAL CORD SYNDROME

Age 42 · Female · Toe · Fracture · 2024

42YOF WITH DROPPING A SAFE ON TOE DX; FRACTURED TOE

Age 4 · Male · Toe · Other · 2024

4 YOM KICKED SAFE BAREFOOT DX TOE INJURY

Age 25 · Female · Finger · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

25 YOF C/O THUMB PAIN AFTER SHUTTING SAFE DOOR ON IT DX CONTUSION THUMB

Age 59 · Male · Lower Trunk · Nerve Damage · 2024

59YOM, DEVELOPED INTERMITTENT LOW BACK PAIN 4 MONTHS AGO WHILE LIFTING SOMETHING HEAVY IMPROVED AFTER A VISIT TO THE CHIROPRACTOR AND THREE DAYS AGO WAS PULLING A SAFE WHEN SYMPTOMS WORSENED AND NOW WITH SEVERE PAIN TO THE LEFT BUTTOCK INTO LEFT LEG DX: SCIATICA LEFT SIDE; LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION WITH RADICULOPATHY [L4/L5]

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

9/26/2019 · Incident, No Injury · Amazon.com LLC · Unspecified

AmazonBasics Mounted Firearm Safety Device With Biometric Fingerprint Lock Sold by: Amazon.com Services, Inc This item can easily be unlocked by a child/teen using only a ruler. This is extremely unsafe. There should be some type of lip around the button to prevent accessing the interior of the safe so easily. See video showing this safe can easily be opened in less than 10 seconds by a child with a ruler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-lE4Tz2I_Y&t=13s

9/25/2021 · No Incident, No Injury · Harbor Freight Tools · Washington

My four year old came to me today to notify me my gun safe was open! I count on this safe to be in working condition to protect my family and my guns. The safe will not lock. We have not had trouble with it before but after looking it up we have found others have the same problem. I have tried everything, replacing batteries, using the key. It will not lock.

9/18/2017 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · STACK-ON PRODUCTS CO · Michigan

5 year old child was able to use his fingerprint to open the Stack-On PS-15-10-B bio-metric gun safe, retrieve a loaded gun from inside the safe and accidentally shoot himself in the hand. The fingerprints "saved" in the bio-metric unit was the mother and father of the 5 year old. There are several online reviews of this specific safe which report unauthorized fingerprints have been used to open the safe.

8/8/2024 · Incident, No Injury · Shenzhen Tomtop Technology Co., Ltd. · Tennessee

I bought a Cacagoo Biometric Gun Safe & it will open with any finger print

8/2/2024 · No Incident, No Injury · Shenzhen Tomtop Technology Co., Ltd. · Kentucky

I was working at my desk and my 4 year brought me my gun. The product was the Cacagoo finger print lock box.

8/17/2024 · Incident, No Injury · AWESAFE · New Jersey

Barometric finger print scanner failed to work repeatedly. The buttons to open or have also failed to open the safe also do not work consistently.

7/30/2020 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · STACK-ON PRODUCTS CO · Arizona

Just four days after receiving this brand new safe from Walmart, I went to open it with the code I had set and the locking mechanism wouldn't budge. I had entered the correct code, as confirmed by flashing green lights and a faint buzz of the servo motor, but still the safe stayed fully closed. So, I grabbed the backup keys for the electronic safe, put it in the keyway and turned. No luck. The locking mechanism was completely jammed and both keys were only able to turn a quarter of a turn before being met with considerable force. No amount of jiggling, pounding, or pushing while turning the key was effective. Eventually, I had to purchase tools to force the safe open to get access to my passport, handgun, social security card, cash, and best-man gift from my brother (a beautiful wristwatch). All the banging and force required to open the safe had scratched up the watch and gun. In addition, the manufacturing company was unresponsive to calls and emails, despite offering a 3 year warranty on the safe. They finally responded to a support email 5 days after forcing the safe open, and 8 days after the request the same day the safe first sealed itself closed.

7/29/2012 · Incident, No Injury · STACK-ON PRODUCTS CO · New York

I just read an article by Marc Weber Tobias detailing how the Stack-On safes can be opened with a paper clip (search for his name and "thesidebar" and/or "Security Labs" and/or "Forbes"). So I tried it myself on the Stack-On PS-514 I have. I have a short video if you want and I posted it on Amazon under "DANGER !!! Easy to pick !!". I've never cracked a safe in my life and I did it on the second try. The video is my 5th time opening it with a paper clip. I showed my wife how to do it and she got it open on the first try. These are sold as gun safes. The California DOJ has approved them. A child can get into them, get a gun and kill or injure themselves or another person (this has actually happened).

Showing 8 of 39 reports.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to safes on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Home Heating & Cooling Equipment

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Safes: cross-group products nearest on danger score (34/100), estimated annual ER visits (2,280/yr), and hospitalization share (4.0%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

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, Safes ranks #482 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #398 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does safes rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, safes ranks #482 by PlainSafety danger score (34/100) and #398 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (2,280/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from safes?

The most common injury is fracture to the finger, accounting for approximately 3,471 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from safes increasing or decreasing?

Stable over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for safes injuries?

The 35-44 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 8,147 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by safes?

Of all ER visits involving safes, 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 safes?

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.

Data on Safes is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2024. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

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.