Self-contained Openers
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.
Containers & Packaging · CPSC Code 1103
Up 33% over 5 years
The verdict
Self-contained Openers carry a danger score of 36/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,094 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 33% over the last five years.
- 36/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 2,094
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1103 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for self-contained openers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume2,094 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.7%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+33%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Self-contained Openers (CPSC product code 1103, in the Containers & Packaging category) generate an estimated 2,094 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 41,872 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 33% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (3,227 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (992 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for self-contained openers is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 30,529 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the finger (4,289 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 13,151 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 2.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 5 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how self-contained openers 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 | 3,091 | 2,563 | |
| 5-14 | 8,800 | 4,351 | |
| 15-24 | 3,719 | 3,184 | |
| 25-34 | 1,794 | 1,870 | |
| 35-44 | 2,551 | 1,866 | |
| 45-54 | 1,645 | 1,578 | |
| 55-64 | 1,300 | 1,258 | |
| 65-74 | 1,010 | 453 | |
| 75+ | 448 | 391 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Face | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Foot | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Neck | Foreign Body | |
| Mouth | Foreign Body | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Foreign Body |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
13YOM SWALLOWED BOTTLE TAB ON FRIDAY. DX: FOREIGN BODY INGESTED
14MOM SWALLOWED A POP CAN TAB A FEW HOURS AGO RESULTING IN A FOREIGN BODY AND IMMEDIATELY VOMITTED UP WATER AFTERWARDS. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
18YOF ACCIDENTALY SWALLOWED A POP CAN TAB RESULTING IN A FOREIGN BODY. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
11YOM PRESENTS AFTER SWALLOWING A POP TOP OFF OF A *** CAN AT LUNCH WHILE AT SCHOOL TODAY. HAS MILD ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT,NO SHARP OR SEVERE PAIN. HE STS THAT THE FOREIGN BODY WAS INSIDE OF THE *** CAN WHEN HE TOOK A DRINK. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
15YOF WITH AUTISM, PUT A SODA CAN TAB IN HER MOUTH AND SWALLOWED IT. DX: FB INGESTED
69YOF, SWALLOWED A *** TAB A WEEK AGO, OPENED CAN TAB WAS IN CAN DX: FOREIGN BODY SENSATION, ORAL
52 YOM WITH FOREIGN BODY SENSATION IN THROAT. PATIENT STATES HE WAS DRINKING A SODA WHEN HE ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED THE PULL TAB OF A SODA CAN. DX SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY, THROAT PAIN
30 YOF WAS OPENING A CAN OF DOG FOOT THIS MORNING AND STATES THE RING SHE WAS USING TO OPEN THE CAN WAS SOMEWHAT STUCK ON HER FINGER. SHE ENDED UP CUTTING HER OPPOSITE HAND ON THE EDGES OF THE LID WHEN IT CAME FREE. DX: LACERATION OF LEFT INDEX FINGER
9YOM PRESENTS WITH SWALLOED FOREIGN BODY S/P PT STATES HE SWALLOWED A SODA CAN TAB. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
61YOM TO ER 1 HR AFTER SWALLOWING THE TAB OF A BEER CAN, PT SAYS OPENED CAN, AND THEN FELT METAL TAB GO DOWN THROAT CT SHOWS METTALIC FOREIGN BODY DX SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
33YOF PT ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A LOOSE SODA-CAN PULL TAB; FEELS IT IN LEFT SIDE OF THROAT DX; FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
8YOM, ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A BOTTLE CAP VERSUS A CAN TAB FROM ***, DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Consumer wanted to report that the tab style cans found in [REDACTED] Soups and Chef Boyardee ravioli products are dangerous to consumers. The consumer is referring to the ravioli mini, regular size and the can of [REDACTED] vegetable classics. She said that the cans are unsafe because if a person attempts to use something else to open the can the person may injure themselves. She has not injured herself but feels that the edges of the tab are sharp. The consumer contacted the manufacturer for Chef Boyardee 3 months and called [REDACTED] 2 years ago. [REDACTED] offered to send her a hook opener for the can, while all Chef Boyardee offered was coupons for more Chef Boyardee products. She felt it was imperative to report this issue.
Consumer wanted to report that the tab style cans found in Progresso Soups and [REDACTED] ravioli products are dangerous to consumers. The consumer is referring to the ravioli mini, regular size and the can of Progresso vegetable classics. She said that the cans are unsafe because if a person attempts to use something else to open the can the person may injure themselves. She has not injured herself but feels that the edges of the tab are sharp. The consumer contacted the manufacturer for [REDACTED] 3 months and called Progresso 2 years ago. Progresso offered to send her a hook opener for the can, while all [REDACTED] offered was coupons for more [REDACTED] products. She felt it was imperative to report this issue.
While opening a can of dog food, The pull tab lid popped open with such force and speed that it cut my right thumb. This was not the first time one of these lids has caused me injury, but this time it was more serious as the cut was rather deep and I bled quite a bit. These lids need to be removed from production because they are much more hazardous than their predecessors (the ones that require a can opener). Not only is the lid itself dangerous, but there is a second hazard with theses cans - the inside rim of the cn where the lid was formerly attached is also razor sharp, so any attempt to reach inside one of these cans could also result in a nasty cut. And with the concern about germs and new infections that are resistant to current medications - these situations must be controlled.
I bought 3 cans of Kroger artichokes. The little opening tab at the top of 2 out of 3 of the cans fell off. I tried to use a conventional can opener to open the defective cans, and the can opener was unable to pierce the entire circle leaving arcs of it still closed. In order to retrieve the product, I had to pry the top off the can with a screwdriver. This caused slivers of sharp metal to appear which could have severely caused a razor-like cut while removing the product. I think the manufacturing process at Kroger needs to be looked at! Somebody could get hurt opening these cans. A 33% success rate is not good enough.
This 73 year old caller's wife was fixingTuna October 14th, 2018 with the new containers that the lid has a pop top to pull the lid off (easy open can). The caller opened the can of tuna for his wife and handed it to her but while she was draining the water from the tuna she sliced her finger and could not stop the bleeding so the caller (her husband) took her to the Kaiser walk in emergency at [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] where she received four stitches. The caller said that his wife could have used five stitches but it was too close to her nail. He contacted both the retailer and the manufacturer and he has heard back from both of them regarding this incident. He is not sure when purchased because they purchase this same tuna all of the time with dates overlapping. Caller still has the can for the tuna He has contacted both the manufacturer and the Retailer and he has heard back from both of them.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to self-contained openers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are self-contained openers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, self-contained openers have a danger score of 36/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,094 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from self-contained openers?
The most common injury is ingestion to the internal, accounting for approximately 30,529 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from self-contained openers increasing or decreasing?
Up 33% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for self-contained openers injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 13,151 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by self-contained openers?
Of all ER visits involving self-contained openers, approximately 2.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with self-contained openers?
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 Containers & Packaging
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 5-14 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.
