Sofas, Couches, Davenports, Divans Or Studio Couches
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 679
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Sofas, Couches, Davenports, Divans Or Studio Couches carry a danger score of 47/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 189,618 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 47/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 189,618
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 7.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 679 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 47/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume189,618 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)7.7%
- Fatality rate0.06%
- 5-year trend-4%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Sofas, Couches, Davenports, Divans Or Studio Couches (CPSC product code 679, in the Home Furnishings & Fixtures category) generate an estimated 189,618 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 3.8M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 47/100 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 roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (231,420 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (144,301 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 549,707 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (213,870 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1.4M 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 7.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.06%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 127 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches 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 | 789,750 | 612,788 | |
| 5-14 | 263,069 | 199,387 | |
| 15-24 | 120,494 | 139,408 | |
| 25-34 | 160,762 | 171,256 | |
| 35-44 | 136,243 | 145,681 | |
| 45-54 | 118,904 | 135,994 | |
| 55-64 | 100,853 | 137,318 | |
| 65-74 | 79,753 | 133,029 | |
| 75+ | 101,308 | 245,632 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Neck | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
10YOM PRESENTS PLAYING ON A COUCH AND THROWING SOME PILLOWS AND LOST HIS BALANCE AND FELL OFF OF A COUCH INJURING HIS RIGHT ARM DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF RIGHT RADIUS AND ULNA
67YOF WAS TRYING TO GET OFF OF THE COUCH AND FELL TO THE FLOOR, UNKNOWN HOW LONG SHE LAID ON THE FLOOR POST FALL, HAS HAD TWO SHOTS OF VODKA TODAY, BAC=250.1 DX: WEAKNESS, ALCOHOL INTOXICATION
6MOF CHILD ROLLED OFF THE COUCH AND LANDED ON HER HEAD DX: HEAD TRAUMA IN PEDIATRIC PATIENT
2YOM, FELL OFF COUCH, LANDED ON LEFT ELBOW DX: FALL, LEFT ELBOW FRACTURE DISLOCATION
4YOF WAS JUMPING ON THE COUCH AND FELL OFF ONTO A TILE FLOOR DX: CONCUSSION
8YOM TO ER W/ MOM FOR LACERATION OF LOWER LIP WHEN HE ROLLED OFF OF A COUCH & IMPACTED LIP ON THE FLOOR DX LACERATION OF LOWER LIP
6YOM TO ER W/ MOM AFTER FALL WHILE PLAYING W/ FRIENDS AT HOME, PT FELL OFF THE COUCH & LANED AWKWARDLY ON RIGHT FOOT DX FALL, CLSD NONDISPLACED FRACTURE OF 3RD METATARSAL BONE OF RIGHT FOOT , INJURY RIGHT FOOT
3YOM WAS JUMPING OFF THE COUCH AND FELL ONTO HEAD DX CLOSED HEAD INJURY
2YOM FELL OFF THE COUCH STRIKING HEAD ON THE FLOOR DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
4YOF WAS PLAYING WITH SISTER AND FELL OFF THE COUCH NOW HAVING PAIN IN NECK DX STRAINED RIGHT TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE
3YOM FELL OFF THE COUCH STRIKING HEAD ON THE COFFEE TABLE DX CLOSED HEAD INJURY
42YOM, HAS BEEN HAVING CHEST CONGESTION COUGH SHORTNESS OF BREATH OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS CAMERA TODAY PASSED OUT AND FELL AGAINST THE COUCH WITHOUT EXTERNAL SIGN OF TRAUMA, DX: SYNCOPE UNSPECIFIED; ATYPICAL PNEUMONIA
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I had to fire at my house that was caused by a sofa that was purchased at Ashley furniture.
My husband was sitting on the couch with the built-in recliner. He sat back and we heard a thump. I looked under the couch saw our 5 month old kitten hanging down from the metal mechanism that retracts the recliner and foot rest. We didn't move any of the foot rest or recliner and flipped the couch up. I saw he was caught and her neck was stuck. I tried to pull him out gently but he didn't come loose. I pushed on the bar to try and move it and it wouldn't move to release him. My husband had to push it and then he came loose. He was unconscious and his throat was cut open. I could see his neck was cut open and he was breathing through his trachea. I am 41yrs old and had my first panic attack. I was hyper ventilating and in a panic. We rushed him to the Pet ER and they said it was really bad and would cost 2 thousand dollars to get his surgery to repair his neck. We had to put him down. I am still crying after a whole week and I can't sit on the couch and use the foot rest or recliner without having anxiety. I am not going to use it anymore. When I lay down or wake up, I think of him being stuck and not being able to get him loose. That picture will never leave my mind. I have a co-worker that had his dog's toe cut off by the metal mechanism so I know I am not the only one that has had trouble. A child could have been playing under the couch. There should be some kind of protective cover over the sharp metal mechanisms that open and close.
Last Thursday, September 17, my cat got trapped in the power down reclining "feature" of this sofa. There are three power motors on this sofa. One operates a headrest, one operates a lumbar support, and another operates the "lean back" and footrest feature. In addition to the three buttons that allow you to operate these features, there is a "power down" feature that brings everything on the sofa back to a sitting position. That way you don't have to hold the button down to return to a seating position from laying down, and it brings the headrest and lumbar support back to "home base". Last Thursday this feature caused my cat to be entrapped. He was in pain and screaming! I immediately hit the "up" switch to release him, but he was pretty sore for a few days. I can only imagine what would happen if a child were playing under there and someone hit that button to power it down. This power down button works like the old school garage doors, the ones that were trapping children under them and didn't bounce back when they hit something solid. Luckily my cat is okay. He's only been inside the house for a few months and is still getting used to everything. I'm sure he was curious about what was under the sofa and I certainly didn't see him when I went to close it up. I know this happened to "just a cat" but again, what if it was someone's child. I really think someone should look into this. I tried to contact the manufacturer, but the retail store I purchased this product from only said that they would forward my information to the supplier.
[REDACTED]: Pay-out due in 'toxic sofa' claim" (same thing terrible eczema caused by anti mold chemical that summer heat triggers burns on my skin happened to me (except when I visit my condo in [REDACTED]l every winter) [REDACTED]. Billionaire owner of Ashley Furniture and his lawyers live in [REDACTED] but huge factories in Vietnam and China sold me 9 leather sofas 7 years ago I am suing them for a billion for giving me this skin problem and Parkinson's and my stepson [REDACTED] autism while in the womb lying on the same sofas ([REDACTED] Agent Orange and Dioxin still in Vietnam causing these problems there, too) in 60 day dispute resolution for my billion dollar claim (my last lawyer job was in D.C. for [REDACTED] FDIC giving millions to plaintiff lawyers to sue failed banks' lawyers, CPAs, appraisers, etc) (my firm in CA became the biggest in CA just defending lawyers and doctors for malpractice at 1700) AI me, too. But I did not discover all this until a few months ago I woke up downstairs sofa on 100 degree day and only the part of my left arm directly exposed to the leather sofa after the Tshirt sleeve ended got burned with a chemical that caused eczema and same thing when another hot day upstairs I leaned back on my leather recliner to watch my 82 inch [REDACTED] TV upstairs and my whole back got burned on another 100 degree day without any Tshirt on. So 2 months ago I only watch TV upstairs and downstairs on dining room chairs and avoided all leather couches and my skin problems went all away. I am 72 years old and with just a few weeks ago got diagnosed by [REDACTED] in San Diego with Parkinson's and I can send you the Petition for this 60 day resolution process that I put out there on my 200 [REDACTED] email list newsletter too that I turn into ebooks on Cuba on [REDACTED] too. And I can also answer any questions and send you other [REDACTED] emails showing how VA now automatically pays soldiers in Vietnam with Parkinson's because of Agent Orange so I th
Purchased a couch from the restoration hardware outlet in riverhead NY. The sofa seemed fine when we bought it at the outlet. Upon arrival my wife noticed she was very nauseous every time she sat on the couch. Come to find out the entire couch is saturated in cat urine. It is soaked thru the visions and the fabrics of the couch. The odor must have been covered up but I have pictures to prove all of this. We do not own cats and never have owned a cat due to allergies. What are my rights?
Sharp Feather end pokes us when we set on and use sofas purchase from Jerome furniture. When we called them they said others have complained about this issue.
Call received from [REDACTED] of the Ohio Attorney General's office advising this caller to contact CPSC regarding her sofa purchased and delivered August 7th, 2015 6 weeks ago from Brian's Furniture at 30808 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, OH 14145 1 (440) 808-2158 owned by [REDACTED]. The caller states that she and her husband noticed a potent odor the first time they sat on the sofa. They contacted the retailer, spoke with [REDACTED] who advised that they could not return the sofa, they could not obtain reimbursement and that there was no option other than the callers keeping the sofa. She was advised by [REDACTED]n to take the sofa outside in the air. The caller states that she and her husband have tried spraying the sofa with Febreze, putting softener sheets under the seat cushions, washing the sofa etc. but the odor will not go away. The caller states that the sofa is made of petroleum products and sprayed with formaldehyde which is used as embalming fluid. The caller's husband has been having tingling in his head, left side of his face, into his neck area which began after the sofa was delivered. His physician is testing the caller's husband and is mid way and being sent to a Neurologist. The caller has been having issues with her eyes itching, coughing, hoarseness and feeling of ill which have occurred also after the sofa was delivered, she has not treated herself or been treated by any medical official. She said that when she enters the room the sofa is sitting in the eye itching begins. The manufacturer is Smith Brothers, PO Box 270, Berne, IN 46711, 1 (260) 589-2131, the manufacturer's representative is [REDACTED]. The callers have received no relief from the manufacturer although the caller states that there is a lifetime warranty on the sofa. The FTC is active with this incident/Complaint# [REDACTED], as well as Consumer advocate; [REDACTED] from the television station channel 3 and the Ohio BBB contact [REDACTED] (dispu
The electrical plug or on/off switch caught fire
Showing 8 of 127 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches have a danger score of 47/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 189,618 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 549,707 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1.4M cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches?
Of all ER visits involving sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches, 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 sofas, couches, davenports, divans or studio couches?
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 47/100 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 0-4 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.