Slipcovers
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 Furnishings & Fixtures · CPSC Code 650
Down 97% over 5 years
The verdict
Slipcovers carry a danger score of 21/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 86 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 97% over the last five years.
- 21/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 86
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 55-64
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 650 - last data year 2020.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 21/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for slipcovers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume86 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-97%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Slipcovers (CPSC product code 650, in the Home Furnishings & Fixtures category) generate an estimated 86 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 949 ER-treated injuries across the 16-year span from 2005 to 2020. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 21/100 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 97% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2015 (228 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (14 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for slipcovers is laceration to the ear, accounting for approximately 103 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the hand (98 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 267 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 9.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 17 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how slipcovers 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 2020-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2020)
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 | 103 | 80 | |
| 5-14 | 49 | 67 | |
| 15-24 | 0 | 15 | |
| 25-34 | 0 | 17 | |
| 35-44 | 0 | 89 | |
| 45-54 | 118 | 32 | |
| 55-64 | 0 | 267 | |
| 65-74 | 14 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 99 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ear | Laceration | |
| Hand | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Pubic Region | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Nerve Damage | |
| Head | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Foreign Body |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
79YOF HX AFIB ON *** W/ FAMILY AFTER FALL @ HOME, PER FAMILY PT WAS STRAIGTENING COVERS ON COUCH & SHE FELL BW'S ONTO R SD, HITTING HEAD, PT HAS R SDED NK PAIN, SHLDER PN, INR 2.77 DX CHI, COAGULOPATHY, CLSD FX R CLAVICLE (*** NOT LISTED ON HOME MEDS) FALL
51YOF SUST SHOULDER PAIN WHICH STARTED AFTER CHANGING SLIPCOVERS ONHER COUCH*
*49YOM,PUTTING COVER ON BOAT SLIPPED AN FELL,LANDED ON EAR,DX:LAC EAR
24 YO F PUTTING ON SLIP COVER INJURED BACKLOWER BACK PAIN
*60YOF,AT NIGHT MUST OF PULLED THE COVERS TO HARD,HAND PAIN,DX:SPRAIN HAND
13YOM GOT RT FOOT CAUGHT IN COUCH SLIP COVER,TWISTED RT ANKLE & FELL.+SEVERE PAIN W/MOVEMENT & PALPATION.DX; AVULSION FX ANKLE
67YOM-WRIST SPRAIN-FELT A POP IN WRIST WHILE TUCKING IN A SEAT COVERON A CHAIR-@ HOME
78YOF SLIPPED ON SEAT COVER, FELL TRYING TO PULL DOWN THE SHADESDX: LT HIP FX
DX MALLET FINGER 50YOM C/O DEFORMITY & MILD PN TO R 3RD DIGIT AFTERPUTTING SEAT COVER
PT SUSTAINED FINGER SPRAIN WHEN SHE WAS TUCKING IN A SLIPCOVER ON HERCOUCH*
STAPLE IN DAD'S SHOES CUT LOWER LEG; DX LACERATION LOWER LEG
LT MIDDLE FINGER SPRAIN: PUTTING ON SLIPCOVER, REACHED AROUND CHAIRHEARD CRACK 3RD FINGER BENT
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to slipcovers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are slipcovers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, slipcovers have a danger score of 21/100 (low risk). An estimated 86 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from slipcovers?
The most common injury is laceration to the ear, accounting for approximately 103 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from slipcovers increasing or decreasing?
Down 97% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for slipcovers injuries?
The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 267 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by slipcovers?
Of all ER visits involving slipcovers, approximately 9.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with slipcovers?
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 Furnishings & Fixtures
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 21/100 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.
