Slides Or Sliding Boards
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 & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1242
Down 20% over 5 years
The verdict
Slides Or Sliding Boards carry a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 44,837 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 20% over the last five years.
- 40/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 44,837
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1242 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 40/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for slides or sliding boards - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume44,837 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-20%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Slides Or Sliding Boards (CPSC product code 1242, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 44,837 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 896,732 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 40/100 for this category (moderate 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 20% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (55,634 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (23,972 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for slides or sliding boards is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 76,197 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by fracture to the lower arm (73,563 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 463,265 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 3.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 26 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how slides or sliding boards 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 | 217,953 | 157,263 | |
| 5-14 | 271,750 | 191,515 | |
| 15-24 | 9,287 | 13,468 | |
| 25-34 | 4,587 | 10,115 | |
| 35-44 | 4,523 | 6,115 | |
| 45-54 | 1,666 | 3,197 | |
| 55-64 | 528 | 2,716 | |
| 65-74 | 545 | 882 | |
| 75+ | 112 | 423 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Elbow | Dislocation | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Lower Leg | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2YOM PRESENTS TO ED FOR FACIAL INJURY, LACERATION. PT WAS AT DAYCARE ON SLIDE WHEN STRUCK FACE. NO LOC. BEEN ACTING BASELINE. DAD NOTED LACERATION ON INSIDE OF LIP AND ONE OF OUTSIDE, CONCERNED ABOUT THROUGH AND THROUGH INJURY. DX: FACIAL INJURY, FACIAL LACERATION
17MOF PRESENT TO ED AFTER FALLING APPPROX 3FT TALL SLIDE LANDING ON L WRIST.PT IMMEDIATELY CRIED,NO HS/LOC,N/V.ABLE TO RANGE L ARM COMPLETELY AT ELBOW.NO OTHER INJURIES NOTEDDX: TORUS FX OF L WRIST
59YOF WAS PLAYING WITH HER GRANDCHILD AT THE PARK GOING DOWN A SLIDING BOARD AND FELL OFF DX FRACTURED LEFT ANKLE
9 YOM C/O RIGHT ANKLE AND FOOT PAIN ONSET WHILE SLIDING DOWN SLIDE AND HITTING ICE ON THE GROUND, DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
7YOF PRESENTS WITH ABRASION TO FACE AFTER A ~10 FOOT FALL FROM A PLAYGROUND SLIDE LANDING ON RIGHT SIDE OF HEAD ONTO WOODCHIPS DX: FACIAL ABRASION, FALL, HEAD INJURY CLOSED
6YOF FELL OFF THE END OF A SLIDING BOARD AT SCHOOL ONTO OUTSTRETCHED RIGHT ARM DX: FRACTURED RIGHT FOREARM
3YOF PATEINT WAS AT THE PARK, SHE WENT DOWN THE SLIDE AND STUMBLED WITH THE DISMOUNT AND FELL DOWN. SHE HAS ABRASIONS ON HER ARMS, TORSO AND BACK FROM LANDING ON THE WOODCHIPS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE. DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY, VOMITING, ALTERED MENTAL STATUS
10YOM PT ON TOP OF A SLIDE APPROXIMATELY 5-6 FT IN AIR, WHEN PT WAS PUSHED, FELL OFF SLIDE LANDING ON OUTSTRETCHED HANDS, HIT FOREHEAD ON GROUIND DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY, RT WRIST SPRAIN
6YOF FELL OFF THE SLIDING BOARD TWISTING LEFT ANKLE DX: STRAINED ANKLE
32YOF WAS ON A SLIDING BOARD AT THE PARK AND FELL OFF DX: CONTUSION TO CHEST
20MOM WAS GOING DOWN A SLIDING BOARD FACE FIRST AND STRUCK A ROCK AT THE BOTTOM DX: LACERATION TO FACE
4 YOF PRESENTS WITH TOE CONTUSION S/P GOING DOWN A SLIDE. DX: TOE CONTUSION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
My 4-year-old son fell off of a slide at his school playground. It was a curved slalom-type slide (with no sides). He now has multiple fractures in his tibia and is in a cast for at least 9 weeks. I see that a similar slide has been recalled, but I don't see anything for this one, made by Little Tikes Commercial (PlayPowerLT). http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12109.html If one brand has been recalled, I would think others with the same product should also be recalled.
The rubber strip on the slide which supposedly grips the stair was detached after using it a few times. The slide came sliding down with my child on it. I emailed the company to report it, they have yet to reply. After searching on their official [REDACTED] page, I found out that it is a common occurrence, the company then advised people to just glue it back in, there's no official post, just on the comments. And knowing this problem, they still ship it with no warning to new buyers. or without fixing the problem before shipping it out. https://stairslide.com/
At my son's birthday party, a boy was sliding down the slide and his foot went through the plastic port hole window on the slide. It shattered and cut his foot. He was bleeding but not seriously. We applied pressure and bandages and [REDACTED]. I was curious about the window breaking so I went and rapped another one with my knuckle and it shattered too.
I am reporting a serious safety concern with the Little Tikes First Slide. My 1 year old son was using the slide under direct supervision as well as my 21 month old niece. As my son attempted to sit at the top, he lost his balance and fell backwards because there are no handrails or grips to hold onto. Even my 21 month old niece struggled to sit without losing her balance and fell back but was caught before she got hurt. The design offers no support for toddlers during the transition from standing to sitting on the slide, which creates a major falling hazard. He fell and hit his face on the ground, resulting in a bruised face and a black eye. We are grateful his injuries werent more severe, but this situation could have easily led to a head injury or worse. This product is marketed for children starting at 18 months, yet it lacks even the most basic safety feature: handrails to prevent backward falls. This slide should be recalled and redesigned to include handrails or other safety supports before another child gets seriously injured.
I purchased a sports power jump n swing set From Kmart on June 17th 2014 on August 25th 2014 My 28lb grand daughter was going down the slide When it cracked leaving a sharp jaggered edge Cutting her leg. The slide is thin yellow plastic That is hard so when it cracked it created sharp Jaggered pieces almost like PVC pipe I truly believe This product needs to be recalled before a child Gets seriously injured. Please let me know if I Can submit a picture
Meridian Adventure Playset slide has cracked at the middle bottom and has cut my son's leg.
My son received a thermal burn on his hand on a slide at his daycare center. The equipment was manufactured by BCI Burke Co. (https://www.bciburke.com/about) and just installed. This was the children's first day playing on the new equipment. Here is the product: https://www.bciburke.com/our-products/product/voltage-3d-2406 It includes a canopy for shade but the slides were not shaded at the time. It occurred around noon and the temperature was at or near 90 degrees. He sat down at the top of the slide and put his hands on the slide to scoot himself forward then started screaming as he went down the slide. His hand was bright red and he was also complaining about his leg. Blisters appeared on two of his finger tips a few hours later.
The window in the solowave tube slide broke and our daughter cut her hand in the fall of 2013. Over the winter it has completely come apart and there are little sharp plastic pieces around the edge of the window. The other window is also cracked but not yet broken. We need to get the slide fixed in order for our children to use the slide.
Showing 8 of 26 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to slides or sliding boards on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are slides or sliding boards?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, slides or sliding boards have a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 44,837 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from slides or sliding boards?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 76,197 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from slides or sliding boards increasing or decreasing?
Down 20% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for slides or sliding boards injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 463,265 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by slides or sliding boards?
Of all ER visits involving slides or sliding boards, approximately 3.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with slides or sliding boards?
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 & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 40/100 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.