Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, School Equipment ranks #684 of 838 by danger score (29/100) at ER-volume #506 of 838 (1,166/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #684
- danger rank of 838
- #506
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 29/100
- danger score
- 1,166/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 (29/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
29 Among the lowest lower than 82% 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: 21/100
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) | 2 | 10th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 1,166 | 35th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -29% | 22nd | 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 23,333 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 2300. Segments sum to 23,333 - 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 Footwear 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.
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for school equipment - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 1,166 ER visits/yr Below median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 1.5% Low admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-29%
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 school equipment are declining by about 29% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2014 (1,723 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (589 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 2,465 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (2,353 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 13,938 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 1.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
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 school equipment 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 | 1,415 | 1,085 | |
| 5-14 | 8,427 | 5,511 | |
| 15-24 | 2,171 | 2,447 | |
| 25-34 | 316 | 305 | |
| 35-44 | 145 | 447 | |
| 45-54 | 177 | 261 | |
| 55-64 | 87 | 95 | |
| 65-74 | 0 | 169 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 256 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Toe | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Fracture | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Leg | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
83YOF PRESENTS TO THE ER AFTER A FALL COMPLAINING OF FACIAL AND RIGHT HAND PAIN. SHE WAS LEAVING THE LAB AND FELL HITTING HER HEAD ON A WHITEBOARD. ON ANTICOAGULATION AND HER INR IS 2.2. EXAM SHOWS AN ABRASION BY THE RIGHT EYE RIGHT FINGER. HER SPOUSE STATES SHE HAS CONFUSION. CT SHOWED A SUBARACHNOID HEMMOHAGE.. DX: SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS; INJURY HEAD INTIAL
8YOM PRESENTS AFTER RUNNING INTO WHITE BOARD IN CLASS, C/O HEADACHE, DX:HEADACHE, FEVER
6YOM RUNNING IN SCHOOL AND FELL, HIT HEAD ON CHALBOARD. DX: SCALP LACERATION
13YOM HIT HEAD ON A WHITE BOARD AT SCHOOL. DX: FOREHEAD LACERATION
16 YOM WAS ATTEMPTING TO STRIKE SOMETHING WITH HIS CLOSED FIST 4 DAYS AGO WHEN HE MISSED HIS TARGET, STRIKING FIST ON A WHITE BOARD. DX: RIGHT ARM PAIN.
13 YOM PUNCHED A DRY ERASE BOARD AT SCHOOL TODAY, C/O PAIN LEFT HAND, DX; HAND FRACTURE
6YOM ACCIDENTALLY CUT HIS LEFT HAND ON A METAL FRAME OF A WHITE DRY ERASE BOARD DX: LACERATION OF LEFT HAND
7YOF C/O EXTREMITY LACERATION S/P PT STATES SHE SUSTAINED A LACERATION OF HER FOURTH FINGER FROM A METAL EDGE OF A DRY ERASE BOARD. DX: LACERATION OF LEFT RING FINGER
10 MOF HOLDING CHALKBOARD AND FELL HITTING EYE DX SUBCONJUNCTIRAL HEMORRHAGE EYE
13YOM PT HAS LT FOREARM LACERATION FROM FALLING ONTO THE METAL PART OF A DRY ERASE BOARD TODAY DX: LACERATION OF LT FOREARM
79YOF PRESENTED TO ED C/O HEAD INJURY, PT STATED SHE WAS SITTING AT HER DESK AND CHALKBOARD FELL ONTO HER HEAD. SEVERE PAIN. DX; SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE
11YOM ACCIDENTALLY RAN INTO EDGE OF WHITE BOARD AT SCHOOL. DX: CONTUSION OF RIB ON RIGHT SIDE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I'm a facilities manager who happened to be tasked with remounting an emergency eyewash station back to the wall to which it had been affixed. Upon inspection, I came to find that the screws which I once used to mount the unit (and which BY DESIGN are immersed within the eyewash solution itself, seemingly AT ALL TIMES) had rusted out and left a bit of rusty particulates at the bottom of the reservoir. In addition to that, the unsealed nature of the reservoir itself allowed for a multitude of fungus gnats to live/breed/die right next to the rust sediment. It was horrifying to know that some of my employees actually have utilized this product in recent history, though no issues have been reported yet. They will be listed further in the report.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to school equipment on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Footwear
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for School Equipment: cross-group products nearest on danger score (29/100), estimated annual ER visits (1,166/yr), and hospitalization share (1.5%). 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.
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, School Equipment ranks #684 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #506 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does school equipment rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, school equipment ranks #684 by PlainSafety danger score (29/100) and #506 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (1,166/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from school equipment?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 2,465 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from school equipment increasing or decreasing?
Down 29% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for school equipment injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 13,938 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by school equipment?
Of all ER visits involving school equipment, approximately 1.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with school equipment?
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.