Skating (activity/apparel, Or Equipment) Other/not Specified
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.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3217
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Skating (activity/apparel, Or Equipment) Other/not Specified carry a danger score of 36/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 6,678 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 36/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 6,678
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3217 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume6,678 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.2%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+3%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Skating (activity/apparel, Or Equipment) Other/not Specified (CPSC product code 3217, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 6,678 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 133,551 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 roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (11,394 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (3,391 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified is fracture to the wrist, accounting for approximately 15,715 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the wrist (11,887 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 76,052 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 2.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified 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 | 728 | 846 | |
| 5-14 | 31,109 | 44,943 | |
| 15-24 | 13,711 | 11,260 | |
| 25-34 | 4,707 | 8,441 | |
| 35-44 | 2,959 | 6,403 | |
| 45-54 | 1,874 | 3,711 | |
| 55-64 | 800 | 1,522 | |
| 65-74 | 140 | 327 | |
| 75+ | 15 | 51 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Other | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Knee | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
39YOM COMES TO THE ER FOR SHOULDER PAIN. HE STATES HE FELL 4 DAYS AGO AT THE SKATE RINK AND HAS BEEN HAVING LEFT SHOULDER PAIN SINCE THAT TIME. HELOAST HIS BALANCE AND FELL ON THE LEFT SHOULDER AND TRIED TO CATCH HIMSELF WITH THE RIGHT ARM. DENIES HEAD TRAUMA. DX: INJURY ACROMIOCLAVICULAR JOINT LEFF, INJURY SHOULDER LEFT
33 YOF FELL WHILE SKATING AND HURT LT WRIST. HAS PAIN, SWELLING & BRUISING. DX: DISTAL RADIUS FX
50YOM WAS ROLLER SKIING TODAY WHEN HE TRIPPED OVER ONE OF HIS SKIS WHILE GOING 10MPH ON ASPHALT AND FELL STRAIGHT FORWARD WITH HIS ARMS OUT. NO HEAD TRAUMA OR LOC. HAS SIGNIFICANT ABRASION ALONG LEFT KNEE DX: DISLOCATION LEFT SHOULDER CLOSED, ABRASION LEFT LEG
24YOF WALKED IN TO ED. PATIENT WAS SKATING AND FELL BACK LANDING ON HER BUTT WITH HER ARMS BACK. PATIENT COMPLAINING OF RIGHT FOREARM PAIN. DX:FALL; INJURY OF RIGHT FOREARM.
55 YOF WITH RIGHT SHOULDER PAIN S/P FALL WHILE SKATING YESTERDAY. DX MASS JOINT RIGHT SHOULDER
13YOM PRESENTS WITH MULTIPLE ABRASIONS TO RIGHT SHOULDER, ELBOW AND WRIST AS WELL AS PAIN IN RIGHT LOWER ABDOMEN AND RIGHT INDEX AND RING FINGERS AFTER BEING A HELMETED SKATER THAT FELL ~6 FEET INTO AN EMPTY POOL DX: SOFT TISSUE INJURY, ABRASIONS MULTIPLE SITES
59YOM PRESENTS WITH A HEAD INJURY AFTER SLIDING INTO THE BOARD WHILE SKATING. DX: CONCUSSION, INJURY OF HEAD
26YOF FELL WHILE SKATING DX: LT WRIST PAIN
12YOM PRESENTS WITH REPORT OF A FALL WITH HEAD STRIKE AGAINST A BOARD WHILE SKATING. DX: CONCUSSION, LACERATION OF SCALP
20YOM WAS DOING UNSPECIFIED SKATING YESTERDAY WHEN HE FELL AND NOW HIS KNEE HURTS DX: KNEE PAIN
12YOM FELL ON LEFT ANKLE TONIGHT WHILE SKATING DX: SPRAIN OF LEFT ANKLE
9YOF FELL LAST NIGHT WHILE SKATING DX: RIGHT ANKLE INJURY
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I fell while skating with helmet on, was knocked out and taked to emergency room where I spend 5 days in ICU
During use of the skates the brake dislodged from its intended position. This caused it to drag during a sharp turn which caused a crash and minor injuries including a bruised hip bone. I reported the issue and received a pair of replacement skates that have the same issue. Due to the design, an impact to the top of the brake will always cause the brake to dislodge and drag until the skate is disassembled and the brake re-positioned. I had to return the second pair and purchase a different model.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified have a danger score of 36/100 (low risk). An estimated 6,678 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified?
The most common injury is fracture to the wrist, accounting for approximately 15,715 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 76,052 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified?
Of all ER visits involving skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified, approximately 2.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with skating (activity/apparel, or equipment) other/not specified?
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 Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
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.
