Storm Windows
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 1826
Down 39% over 5 years
The verdict
Storm Windows carry a danger score of 29/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,151 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 39% over the last five years.
- 29/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,151
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 2.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 25-34
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1826 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 29/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for storm windows - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,151 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)2.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-39%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Storm Windows (CPSC product code 1826, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 1,151 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 23,017 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 29/100 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 39% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (3,284 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2024 (220 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for storm windows is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 4,068 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (3,105 cases). The 25-34 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 3,539 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 2.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
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 storm windows 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 | 1,050 | 536 | |
| 5-14 | 1,638 | 705 | |
| 15-24 | 2,162 | 1,294 | |
| 25-34 | 2,358 | 1,181 | |
| 35-44 | 1,587 | 1,367 | |
| 45-54 | 1,551 | 1,286 | |
| 55-64 | 1,168 | 1,136 | |
| 65-74 | 1,017 | 634 | |
| 75+ | 780 | 1,559 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Laceration | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Arm | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Knee | Laceration | |
| Elbow | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
12 YOM LOWER ARM WENT THROUGH A WINDOW DX LACERATION LOWER ARM
60YOM STATES THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET INTO HIS HOUSE BY BREAKING A HURRICANE PROOF GLASS WINDOW WITH A BRICK WHEN HE CUT HIMSELF DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT WRIST; LACERATION OF LEFT LOWER LEG; NERVE INJURY
82YOM, COMING IN AFTER HE SUFFERED 3 FALLS YESTERDAY, LANDED ON RIGHT SHOULDER, NO HEAD STRIKE OR THINNERS, THEN TODAY HE WAS ON THE GROUND, PUTTING IN STORM WINDOWS, WHEN HE TRIED TO GET BACK UP FELT WORSENING PAIN TO HIS RIGHT SHOULDER, DX: ACUTE PAIN OF RIGHT SHOULDER
43YOF PRESENTS WITH FINGER LACERATION. PATIENT STATES AROUND 12:30 LAST NIGHT SHE WAS CLOSING A STORM WINDOW WHEN IT CAME CRASHING DOWN ON HER FINGERS. DX: FINGER LACERATION
90YOM PRESENT TO ED AFTER A FALL. PT STATES HE GOT PUSHED OVER BY HIS STORM WINDOW. WAS TRYING TO GET SOMETHING BEHIND THEM AND THEY KNOCKED HIM OVER. LANDED ON CEMENT,HIT BACK OF HEAD HARD.NO LOC. INDEPENDENT REQUIRES NO ASSISTANCEDX:AT RISK FOR FALLS;CLOSED HEAD INJURY
39YOM WAS PUTTING A STORM WINDOW IN AND HIS ARM WENT THROUGH A STORM WINDOW WHEN IT STARTED TO SLIP DX: LACERATION OF MULTIPLE SITES OF RIGHT ARM AND LACERATION OF RIGHT HAND
20YOF FELL DOWN AN EGRESS WINDOW AND ROLLED HER RIGHT ANKLE RESULTING IN A FRACTURE. DX: CLOSED NONDISPLACED FRACTURE OF CUBOID OF RIGHT FOOT
90YOM PRESENTS WITH LACERATIONS TO THE 3RD AND 4TH FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS. PATIENT WAS LIFTING UP A HEAVY PANE OF GLASS FOR A STORM DOOR. AND THE WINDOW FELL AND SMASHED HIS FINGERS. HE DENIES BREAKING OF THE GLASS. DX: LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT AND RIGHT MIDDLE FINGERS WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL INITIAL, LACERATION WITHOUT FOREIGN BODY LEFT AND RIGHT RING FINGERS WITHOUT DAMAGE TO NAIL.
36YOF ENCOUNTER WITH AN INMATE, TRYING TO PULL THEM OFF THE WINDOW, TWISTED BACK DX: BACK STRAIN
56YOF PRESENTS WITH COMPLAINTS OF A HEAD INJURY AFTER HITTING HER HEAD ON GLASS WHEN SHE FELL INTO A WINDOW. DX: ACUTE POST TRAUMATIC HEADACHE.HEAD INJURY.
32YOM PT SLIPPED & FELL DOING YARD WORK; ATTEMPTED TO BRACE SELF ON A STORM WINDOW SUSTAINING LACS TO MULTIPLE FINGERS DX: LACS #
47 YOF WAS TRYING TO INSTALL STORM WINDOWS IN HER HOME AND IT FELL ONTO HER HAND. DX: HAND PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Andersen combination storm window for narrowline windows. Installed these combination storm windows approx 25 years ago. To take out the screen or to clean the sill etc the entire unit has to be swung out. Yesterday when swinging out one of my combination units the entire assy crashed to the ground. The plastic hangers broke in half. This may be because of age and they deteriorated or perhaps the added weight of a small air conditioner that was in the window, but I do not think so. If a child etc were playing outside of the house they could have been killed. These plastic hangers are dangerous. Perhaps they were made of a tougher material since then?
In September, 2012 the city of Chicago department of aviation installed 9 sound proof PVC windows. About 2 years later we. Prices a noxious smell in our south facing rooms, especially on sunny days. It continued the get worse as time went on and smelled like burning plastic. The odor has gotten so bad we cant even be in the rooms on sunny days. We are requesting for someone get to the bottom of this smell to help calm our health concerns.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to storm windows on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are storm windows?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, storm windows have a danger score of 29/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,151 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from storm windows?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 4,068 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from storm windows increasing or decreasing?
Down 39% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for storm windows injuries?
The 25-34 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 3,539 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by storm windows?
Of all ER visits involving storm windows, approximately 2.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with storm windows?
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 29/100 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.
