Snow Disks
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 1274
Down 100% over 5 years
The verdict
Snow Disks carry a danger score of 20/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 93 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 100% over the last five years.
- 20/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 93
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 7.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1274 - last data year 2018.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 20/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for snow disks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume93 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)7.7%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-100%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Snow Disks (CPSC product code 1274, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 93 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 1,203 ER-treated injuries across the 14-year span from 2005 to 2018. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 20/100 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 100% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2005 (319 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2012 (6 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for snow disks is fracture to the finger, accounting for approximately 143 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the ankle (124 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 588 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 7.7% 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 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how snow disks 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 2018-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2018)
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 | 17 | 6 | |
| 5-14 | 275 | 313 | |
| 15-24 | 15 | 159 | |
| 25-34 | 162 | 183 | |
| 65-74 | 0 | 73 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Leg | Hematoma | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Foot | Fracture | |
| All Parts Body | Submersion | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
65YOF WAS SWIMMING LAPS IN A SWIMMING POOL AND WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL SUBMERSION INJURY NEAR DROWNING
12 YOF SUSTAINED A LEFT FOOT FX AFTER JUMPING INTO THE WATER WHILE SWIMMING AT THE LAKE
13 YOM CO PAIN IN THE LEFT THUMB AFTER SNOW SLEDDING CO PAIN AND SWELLING DX CONTUSION*
20 YO MALE FELL OFF SAUCER WHILE SLEDDING. DX LOW BACK PAIN B
SPRAIN KNEE 16YOF WENT DOWN POOL SLIDE TWISTED KNEE WHEN HIT BOTTOM OFPOOL AT HOME DX: SPRAIN KNEE
15YOF GLF OFF *** IN YNP HIT R PARIETAL HEAD, SLIPPED IN SNOW DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
15 MOF WAS PLAYING ON A SNOW SAUCER, AT DAYCARE, & FELL, HITTING HERHEAD- NO LOC, OR VOMITING. DX: CHI, SCALP HEMATOMA
11YOF SLEDDING ON SNOW DISK, HIT TREE ROOT/STUMP, SLED BROKE ANDPT HIT BUTT ON TREE 3DA; COCCYX FX
4 YOM THREW A DISC UP IN AIR HIT SELF IN HEAD. DX-LAC FOREHEAD.
6YOM CONCUSSION AFTER HITTING TREE WHILE SLEDDING
25 YOM HURT ANKLE WHILE SNOWTUBEINGANKLE SPRAIN
26 Y/O/F WAS SLIDDING DOWN HILL IN A SNOW SAUCER AND FELL OUTDX: R WRIST & R ANKLE SPRAIN
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to snow disks on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are snow disks?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, snow disks have a danger score of 20/100 (low risk). An estimated 93 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from snow disks?
The most common injury is fracture to the finger, accounting for approximately 143 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from snow disks increasing or decreasing?
Down 100% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for snow disks injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 588 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by snow disks?
Of all ER visits involving snow disks, approximately 7.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (92.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with snow disks?
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 20/100 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.
