Stairs Or Steps
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.
Building Materials & Home Structures · CPSC Code 1842
Down 14% over 5 years
The verdict
Stairs Or Steps carry a danger score of 51/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 1.2M ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 14% over the last five years.
- 51/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 1.2M
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1842 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 51/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for stairs or steps - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1.2M ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.3%
- Fatality rate0.06%
- 5-year trend-14%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Stairs Or Steps (CPSC product code 1842, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 1.2M emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 23.6M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 51/100 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 14% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (1.3M estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (941,790 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for stairs or steps is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 2.7M visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (2.1M cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 3.4M 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 9.3% 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 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how stairs or steps 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 | 944,232 | 721,721 | |
| 5-14 | 760,993 | 859,926 | |
| 15-24 | 1.0M | 1.9M | |
| 25-34 | 1.2M | 2.2M | |
| 35-44 | 1.2M | 2.0M | |
| 45-54 | 1.2M | 2.0M | |
| 55-64 | 1.0M | 1.8M | |
| 65-74 | 756,636 | 1.4M | |
| 75+ | 929,831 | 1.7M |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Foot | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
91YOM, WALKING DOWN STAIRS LOST BALANCE & FELL FORWARD ONTO BOTH HANDS & KNEES, C/O RIGHT CHEST DISCOMFORT DX: FALL, RIGHT CHEST WALL MUSCLED STRAIN, ABRASIONS BILATERAL FINGERTIPS & KNEES
25YOM C/O LEFT ANKLE INJURY AFTER MISSING A STEP WHILE TAKING OUT THE TRASH 7 DAYS AGO. LEFT ANKLE PAIN NOTED. WAS DRINKING ALCOHOL TONIGHT AND HAVING THOUGHTS OF BEING A LOSER. VAGUE EXPRESSION OF SUICIDAL IDEATION. ETHANOL LEVEL 226. DX: ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATION WITHOUT COMPLICATION
59YOF C/O RIGHT LOWER LEG SWELLING APPROXIMATELY 10 DAYS STATUS POST A FALL. FELL DOWN A COUPLE STEPS. BRUISING ON HER RIGHT LEG. PATIENT IS ON ***. DX: CONTUSION OF RIGHT LOWER LEG
92YOF SAYS SHE TRIPPED & FELL ON A STEP ON THE PORCH OF HOME 4 DAYS AGO, PT SAYS PAIN HAS WORSENED & CAME TO ER FOR EVAL, NO THINNER USE DX FALL, CONTUSION ON RIGHT SIDE RIB
76YOF WITH FALL ON STEPS DX: ELBOW CONTUSION
28YOM WITH FALL DOWN STAIRS DX; FRACTURED RIB AND LOWER LEG
61YOF TWISTED LEFT KNEE GOING UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS DX STRAINED KNEE
26YOF, FELL DESCENDING THE BASEMENT STAIRS LANDING INTO TWISTED FOOT POSITIVE FOOT BRUISING, NOT ABLE TO BEAR WEIGHT, DX: RIGHT FOOT PAIN
64YOF, ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATED, BAC 247, TRIPPED AND FELL DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS STRIKING HEAD UNTO FIRE EXTINGUISHER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS, UNKNOWN IF LOST CONSCIOUS, NOT ON BLOOD THINNER, DX: CLOSE FRACTURE OF CERVICAL VERTEBRA
18YOM, ADMITS TO DRINKING ALCOHOL, BAL NOT DONE, ALSO INGESTED SEVERAL EDIBLE MARIJUANA GUMMIES THEN FELL DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS, UNKNOWN IF LOST CONSCIOUS, HAS BLOOD AROUND MOUTH, STATES THAT HE FEELS LIKE BEING DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY , DX: SUBSTANCE INTOXICATION
35YOF, SLIPPED ON THE STAIRS AND FELL STRIKING HAND ON THE RAILING, DX: CLOSES FRACTURE OF LEFT HAND; HAND STRAIN; CONTUSION OF LEFT INDEX FINGER
62YOM, TRIPPED AND FELL DOWN A FLIGHT OF 10 CARPETED STEPS ON FRIDAY WHILE ALCOHOLIC INTOXICATED, BAL NOT DONE, WIFE WAS MAD AT HIM AND JUST PUT HIM TO BED, TODAY NOT EVEN ABLE TO GET UP FROM THE COUCH, DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF MULTIPLE RIBS OF RIGHT SIDE; HEMOTHORAX ON RIGHT; ADRENAL HEMORRHAGE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I bought stair nosings from Menards that were manufactured wrong. There is supposed to be a taper on the top of the nosing to provide a smooth transition from the stair to the nosing. The product was made wrong and the taper is on the bottom which causes a tripping hazard. Since this product is meant to be used at the top of a change in elevation, or on stairs, this creates a dangerous situation for the end user. I contacted Menards and the amnufacturer and neither are willing to make it right.
Fall downstairs due to poor design of stair tread. Tread has a molded ridge,above grade,which my father tripped on. Fall resulted in severe head injury and hospital stay. The ridge or "lip" is placed at the edge of the tread, in an extremely dangerous location. Stair tread is manufactured by "Multy Home" a division of Natco Home Fashions of Concord Ontario, Canada, and can be purchased at Home Depot.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to stairs or steps on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are stairs or steps?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, stairs or steps have a danger score of 51/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 1.2M ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from stairs or steps?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 2.7M injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from stairs or steps increasing or decreasing?
Down 14% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for stairs or steps injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 3.4M cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by stairs or steps?
Of all ER visits involving stairs or steps, approximately 9.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with stairs or steps?
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 Building Materials & Home Structures
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 51/100 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 25-34 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.
