Seasonal Decorations
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 Medical & Assistance Devices · CPSC Code 1714
Up 10% over 5 years
The verdict
Seasonal Decorations carry a danger score of 36/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,368 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 10% over the last five years.
- 36/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 2,368
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1714 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for seasonal decorations - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume2,368 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.7%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+10%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Seasonal Decorations (CPSC product code 1714, in the Home Medical & Assistance Devices category) generate an estimated 2,368 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 47,354 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 36/100 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 10% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (3,862 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (1,386 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for seasonal decorations is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 3,076 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (2,601 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 6,941 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 5.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 21 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how seasonal decorations 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 | 3,989 | 2,952 | |
| 5-14 | 3,065 | 2,874 | |
| 15-24 | 1,452 | 1,706 | |
| 25-34 | 2,887 | 3,320 | |
| 35-44 | 1,898 | 3,481 | |
| 45-54 | 2,143 | 3,914 | |
| 55-64 | 1,350 | 3,343 | |
| 65-74 | 1,343 | 3,731 | |
| 75+ | 889 | 3,015 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
83 YOF SCRAPED SHIN ON A DECORATION DX: ABRASION
18YOM FELL IN THE ROCKS IN HIS DRIVEWAY SUSTAINING A LACERATION TO THE RIGHT PALM OF HIS HAND THAT WAS CUT ON A PIECE OF GLASS FROM AN OUTDOOR DECORATION. NO DX.
60YOM WITH CHEST PAIN. STATES HE WAS TAKING DOWN DECORATIONS 2 HOURS AGO FELT VERY LIGHTHEADED. DX: CHEST PAIN
22MOF A GLASS ORNAMENT BROKE AT HOME AND SHE PUT A PIECE OF THE GLASS IN MOUTH DX: FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
44YOF C/O CHEST WALL PAIN S/P PATIENT REPORTS THAT SHE WAS DECORATING FOR HALLOWEEN WHEN SHE WENT TO REACH FOR SOMETHING SHE NOTICED A SHARP PAIN UNDERNEATH HER LEFT BREAST. DX: CHEST WALL PAIN
53YOF C/O WRIST PAIN S/P PATIENT STATES THAT SHE WAS PUTTING UP SEASONAL DECORATIONS AND SUDDENLY FELT A POPPING SENSATION IN HER RIGHT WRIST. DX: WRIST SPRAIN, RIGHT
52YOM PRESENTS W/ RIGHT SIDED BACK PAIN RADIATING INTO RIGHT LEG, SAYS HE WAS WALKING OUTSIDE HIS APPT AND TRIPPED OVER SOME DECORATIONS ON THE GROUND. HE TWISTED HIS BACK, LANDED ON THE RIGHT KNEE, BUT IS HAVING LOW BACK PAIN DX: SCIATICA OF RIGHT SIDE
18 MOF PLAYING AND FELL HITTING MOUTH ON EASTER BASKET DX LIP LACERATION
26YOF WAS PLAYING WITH HER KIDS WHEN SHE STEPPED ON A PLASTIC EASTER DECORATION EGG TWISTED RIGHT ANKLE DX: STRAINED ANKLE
69YOF C/O LOW RIGHT SIDED BACK PAIN S/P PT STATES SHE WAS PUTTING AWAY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS WHEN THE PAIN IN HER BACK WORSENED. DX: LOW BACK PAIN
50YOM WAS LIFTING AND MOVING AROUND SOME HEAVY LONG DECORATIONS YESTERDAY HAVING CHEST PAINS DX CHEST PAIN
8MOM WAS PLAYING WITH A DECORATION THAT WAS SHARP AND WHEN MOM TOOK IT FROM HIM IT CUT HIS HAND DX: LT PALM LACERATION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The consumer stated that her two year old great-niece took the ghost decoration off of the table and started biting on the top of it. The consumer grabbed her niece and took the ghost decoration out of her mouth to inspect her mouth. The consumer put the ghost into her own mouth without thinking too much about it. The consumer was mainly concerned about her great-niece and wanted to make sure there was nothing in her mouth that she could choke from. The consumer stated that her mouth was burning the next day and the tongue was red. The consumer went to Urgency Center. They examined her mouth and the product. The consumer had red cracking areas on her tongue and her mouth and throat were burning. Urgency Center informed her to contact poison control center about the product. The poison control center were not aware of any issues with the product. The consumer stated that the product had a sweet, perfumed smell. The consumer contacted her nurse hotline for health partner. The consumer was informed to rinse her mouth and drink lots of water. The consumer went to her doctor on 9/29/15. The consumer was provided some medication for her mouth. The consumer was informed to contact CPSC and report the product. The consumer contacted her nephew and asked him to inspect her great-niece for any issues. They are not aware of any issues as of now. The consumer is worried about the chemical in this product. The consumer stated that kids can touch the decoration, put their hand in the mouth, and expose themselves to chemicals. The consumer was informed by the retailer that this product was part of last year's stock. The consumer saw online that Two's Company is no longer in business. Continue to have mouth issues to date 10-12-2015. On second medication now! [REDACTED]
I purchased a small, LED-powered halloween globe at Marshalls on Ford Rd in Canton, Michigan on 9/26/17. On 9/28/17 I installed the required AAA batteries into the globe. I then tested the globe and it worked. I turned the globe off and took into my living room for display. While placing the globe on a table in the living room I noticed that the lid to be battery area was hot. I removed one battery thinking that would solve the problem. But the remaining two batteries got really hot! I got a slight burn on my fingers as I removed the two hot batteries. The batteries were so hot that they melted to each other. I was close to a patio door so I threw the batteries outside so they wouldn't catch anything on fire.
Battery operated pumpkin decoration. Product includes a detachable try me button attached by coated wiring connected to a two pin connector. The wire can be easily pulled with little force to expose uncoated wiring still connected to battery power. This exposed wiring burned my fingers and could cause a fire depending on surfaces/objects the exposed wiring comes in contact with.
This light up ghost has a battery compartment requiring two AA batteries. There is a manufacturing error and the compartment has a negative terminal where a positive terminal is supposed to be. If you put a battery in it immediately gets so hot it will burn to the touch, and left in could easily cause the battery to explode/start a fire. https://www.fivebelow.com/products/halloween-light-up-ghost-9194466
Caller is employee at retail store. On Saturday, September 8th, 2012 while decorating in store, she was attaching a giant hanging skeleton ghoul. Ghoul is approximately seven feet long when hanging, while hanging this ghoul, she felt that small particles came off and she breathed them in. Within the hour caller developed a bloody nose and coughing which kept happening until the following day. They have been on the Dollar Store and on the shelf for sale since the week of September 4th, 2012. Caller is asking that these decorations be inspected and investigated before a child or another consumer is injured. UPDATE: Skeleton ghoul comes in 2 different colors/styles. I was hanging the skull with tan fabric netting over black material. The particles seemed to come from the tan fabric netting.
Here is a copy of the e-mail that you sent to WindscreenSoCal. Order ID [REDACTED]: 1 of Windscreen4less Expandable Artificial Leaf Leaves Faux Ivy Privacy Fence Screen Decor Windscreen [ASIN: B00L4HQ6QK] ------------- Begin message ------------- I purchased two of these and can not use either anymore. There is a toxic petro chemical coming from them that is making me ill. There was no odor at first but now every time it rains, the odor gets worse and worse. Finally I had to take them down and wrap them in plastic to stop the smell. How do you suggest going forward? I spent a lot of money on these two items with only about 4 months use and now feel Amazon needs to stand behind the products that is sold here.
My 16 month old son received an Easter basket and inside was a squeeze / splat ball - egg made by Ja-Ru #1430 He played with it for just a minute when it exploded getting on his face and into his open mouth. I had to call poison control to make sure he would be okay after I wiped out his mouth and gave him milk. Thankfully PC said it should be non-toxic but to keep an eye on him. It doesn't change the fact that this should never have happened. This product clearly has issues.
We purchased two Kinder Joy eggs individually at King Soopers in [REDACTED] a few days ago for easter baskets. The egg comes in two sealed parts. One side is candy (with its own seal), and the other side contains a toy. When my daughter opened her egg this morning, the inside of the egg had glass shards in it. I couldn't tell if there were more inside the filling, which we left alone. I called King Soopers to let them know that they should take the product off the shelf. I am not sure the expiry date or lot number, as this information wasn't on the individual packaging. I posted this information on the Nextdoor website, and another neighbor responded and said that he experienced the same thing. I also contacted the manufacturer, but their online form would not work (would not allow me to input my city), so I called them, but they were closed. I also tried the online form with other browsers, to no avail.
Showing 8 of 21 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to seasonal decorations on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are seasonal decorations?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, seasonal decorations have a danger score of 36/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,368 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from seasonal decorations?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 3,076 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from seasonal decorations increasing or decreasing?
Up 10% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for seasonal decorations injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 6,941 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by seasonal decorations?
Of all ER visits involving seasonal decorations, approximately 5.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with seasonal decorations?
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 Medical & Assistance Devices
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 36/100 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 0-4 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.
