Seed And Fertilizer Spreaders
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.
Lawn & Garden Equipment · CPSC Code 1430
Down 17% over 5 years
The verdict
Seed And Fertilizer Spreaders carry a danger score of 30/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 147 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 17% over the last five years.
- 30/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 147
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 11.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 55-64
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1430 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 30/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for seed and fertilizer spreaders - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume147 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)11.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-17%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Seed And Fertilizer Spreaders (CPSC product code 1430, in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category) generate an estimated 147 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 2,944 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 30/100 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 declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (280 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (57 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for seed and fertilizer spreaders is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 413 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the finger (227 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 865 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 11.1% 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 seed and fertilizer spreaders 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 | 89 | 161 | |
| 5-14 | 175 | 62 | |
| 15-24 | 70 | 0 | |
| 25-34 | 89 | 0 | |
| 35-44 | 79 | 130 | |
| 45-54 | 187 | 62 | |
| 55-64 | 639 | 226 | |
| 65-74 | 99 | 30 | |
| 75+ | 688 | 156 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Avulsion | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
70YOM TO ER FOR LOW BACK PAIN AFTER TWISTING LOW BACK AT HOME WHILE MOVING 20# BAG OF SEED DX ML LOW BACK PAIN W/O SCIATICA
46YOM PRESENTS WITH COMPLAINT OF FOREIGN BODY SENSATION IN THROAT AFTER DRINKING COFFEE WITH ANISE SEED IN IT. PT IS ABLE TO SPEAK IN FULL SENTENCES AND DENIES SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN PHARYNX
70YOM CAUGHT FINGER IN A SPREADER. DX: PARTIAL AMPUTATION OF RING FINGER
77 YOM WAS PUASHING THE FERTILIZER SPREADER IN THE YARD TODAY WHEN HE FELT DIZZY AND SHORT OF BREATH AND BLACKED OUT COMPLETELY. DX: SYCOPE AND COLLAPSE, DYSPNEA ON EXERTION, HISTORY OF VERTIGO.
57YOM PRESENTS TO ED W CO LOW BACK PAIN PT WAS THROWING HEAVY SEED BAGS YESTERDAY TONIGHT HE ATTEMPTED TO GOLF AND TOOK HIS FIRST SWING AND DEVELOPED PAIN DX: BACK PAIN, ABNORMAL LUMBAR X RAY
79 YOM WAS MOVING A MANURE SPREADER AND FELL. DX: LEFT ANKLE AVULSION FRACTURE, LEFT FOOT SPRAIN.
3 yom *** was riding in horse drawn fell out cart wheel ran over abdomen then manure spreader being pulled by cart ran over his leg, blunt trauma dx femur fracture
78YOM WAS OUTSIDE IN HIS YARD SPREADING FERTILIZER WHEN HE FELL ONTO THE DRIVEWAY ONTO HIS HEAD DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
6YOM PRESENTS WITH BLUNT TRAUMA TO FACE, HEAD, NECK AND CHEST AFTER HE GOT HURT BY THE WHEEL OF A HORSE-DRAWN MANURE SPREADER DX: SCAPULAR FRACTURE AND LUMBAR FRACTURE
33YOM WITH RIGHT CORNEAL ABRASION AFTER SEEDING LAWN YESTERDAY.
NASAL BONE FX, RIGHT PERI ORBITAL HEMATOMA. 81 YOM WAS PUSHING A FERTILIZER SPREADER WHEN HE TRIPPED AND FELL.
58YOM F'BDY FINGER, SPLINTER STUCK IN FINGER WHILE CLEANING MANURE SPREADER
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The consumer was preparing to use this new spreader with #2903 fertilizer and wanted the proper setting. He called the firm and their rep. (name unknown) told him that the product should not be used with a herbicide. The consumer told the rep. that their instructions indicated that it could be used with herbicides and advised him to check their site. The consumer used an older feeder to apply seed, weed, feed & ice, around his home over the years. The manufacturers instructions indicate that the older product and this new one could be used to spread all of those materials. The older feeder was named a Whirl, purchased approximately 3 5 years ago and made by this same manufacturer. He used this older one with a herbicide numerous times since he owned it The main difference, was the new one had batteries and the older one does not. Since there is a discrepancy with the products literature and what the firms rep. told him, he believes that the manufacturer is selling this product under false pretense and has been exposing the public to a possible health risk for years. He can provide the older feeder, but he returned the newer one back to the dealer, due to his safety concerns with the product.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to seed and fertilizer spreaders on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are seed and fertilizer spreaders?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, seed and fertilizer spreaders have a danger score of 30/100 (low risk). An estimated 147 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from seed and fertilizer spreaders?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 413 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from seed and fertilizer spreaders increasing or decreasing?
Down 17% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for seed and fertilizer spreaders injuries?
The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 865 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by seed and fertilizer spreaders?
Of all ER visits involving seed and fertilizer spreaders, approximately 11.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (88.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with seed and fertilizer spreaders?
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 Lawn & Garden Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 30/100 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 55-64 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.
