Table Linens
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 651
Up 10% over 5 years
The verdict
Table Linens carry a danger score of 36/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 376 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 10% over the last five years.
- 36/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 376
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 14.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 651 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for table linens - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume376 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)14.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+10%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Table Linens (CPSC product code 651, in the Home Furnishings & Fixtures category) generate an estimated 376 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 7,521 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 36/100 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 rising by about 10% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2023 (729 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (110 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for table linens is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 872 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, scald to the upper trunk (560 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,794 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 14.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 3 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how table linens 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 | 1,419 | 1,375 | |
| 5-14 | 132 | 162 | |
| 15-24 | 77 | 63 | |
| 25-34 | 222 | 247 | |
| 35-44 | 168 | 181 | |
| 45-54 | 124 | 534 | |
| 55-64 | 232 | 460 | |
| 65-74 | 95 | 502 | |
| 75+ | 93 | 1,438 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Trunk | Burn, Scald | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Burn, Scald | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Face | Burn, Scald | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Upper Leg | Burn, Scald | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
21 MOM PULLED TABLECLOTH WITH CUP OF HOT TEA ON IT WHICH SLIPPED OFF AND SCALDING HOT TEA FELL ON HIS FOREHEAD CAUSING 5-10% TBSA STAGE 2 BURN INJURY TO FOREHEAD. DX: BURN INJURY
54YOF BROUGHT IN BY FALL. TRIPPED OVER THE TABLE CLOTH ON KITCHEN AND FELL INTO A DEER ANTLER DOG CHEW AND IMPALED HER RIGHT ELBOW. DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT ELBOW, FALL, RIGHT ELBOW PAIN
87YOF C/O HEAD INJURY WITH SCALP CONTUSION S/P PT HAD A WITNESSED FALL FROM STANDING WHEN SHE SLIPEED ON A NAPKIN THAT WAS ON THE GROUND, IMPACTING THE BACK OF HER HEAD ON THE GROUND. PT THINKS SHE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS FOR A FEW SECONDS. PT IS CURRENTLY ON BLOOD THINNER, ***. DX: CONTUSION OF SCALP
75YOF, HISTORY OF DEMENTIA, COMING FROM REHAB CENTER AFTER SUFFERED UNWITNESSED MECHANICAL FALL, SLIPPED ON SOME LINEN AND FELL, DENIES HEAD STRIKE AND LOC, NO THINNERS, COMPLAINING OF LEFT HIP PAIN, DX: CLOSED DISPLACED SUBTROCHANTERIC FRACTURE OF LEFT FEMUR; COGNITIVE DEFICITS
2YOM PULLED THE TABLE CLOTH AND A GLASS FELL FROM THE TABLE ONTO HIS HEAD DX: LACERATION SCALP
20MOM WAS AT BABYSITTERS HOUSE AND PULLED A TABLE CLOTH AND KNOCKED A GLASS CHANDELIER TABLE CENTER PIECE ONTO THEIR HEAD. DX: CHI, SCALP LACERATION
83YOF PRESENTS TO ED W/ HEAD INJURY. PT PULLED TABLE CLOTH OFF HIGH SHELF AND LARGE BOWL FELL HITTING HER IN HEAD. PT ON ***. NO LOC. DX: INJURY OF HEAD
60YOM REPORTS HE WAS BENDING DOWN TO PICK UP A NAPKIN IN THE DINING HALL AND FELL FORWARD STRAIGHT ONTO HIS FOREHEAD, HAS HEAD PAIN, FACIAL HEMATOMA WITH LACERATION, KNEE ABRASION. DX: NOT STATED
77YOF TO ER AFTER FALL AT AN EVENT THAT PT WAS AT , PT SLIPPED ON A NAPKIN ON THE FLOOR & FELL HITTING HEAD ON TABLE & FELL ON TO RIGHT WRIST ON FLOOR, NO THINNERS, EMS BROUGHT PT IN, NO LOC DX FALL, INJURY OF HEAD, CLSD FRACTURE OF RIGHT WRIST
82YOF REPORTS THAT SHE WAS SITTING IN HER WHEELCHAIR WHEN SHE DROPPED HER NAPKIN, SHE LEANED FORWARD ATTEMPTING TO PICK IT UP AND FELL ON HER FACE, HAS LACERATION OVER NASAL BRIDGE. DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF NASAL BONE
71YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE WAS WALKING AT HOME WHEN SHE SLIPPED ON A PLACEMAT THAT HAD FALLEN ON THE GROUND. DX: TIBIAL PLATEAU FRACTURE, CLOSED FRACTURE PROXIMAL END OF RIGHT FEMUR, PAIN JOINT PELVIC REGION AND THIGH RIGHT, FALL
15MOF PULLED ON A TABLE CLOTH THAT HAD A BOWL OF SOUP ON IT, IT FELL ONTO HER RT FOREARM, DX: SCALD BURN RT FOREARM
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
This plastic table cover has a very bad chemical odor and it stinks.It made me and all the others on the table nauseated while we had it opened there..Please double check why are these plastic table covers so intoxicating. Why we keep reporting them and they are still for sale out there?..I purchased this on May 13th 2023 at [REDACTED] [REDACTED] the upc bar code on it is 763615400114 ITEM 40011 VC-41 MADE IN CHINA MANUFACTURED FOR KING ZAK INDUSTRIES GOSHEN NY 10924..PLASTIC TABLE COVER RECTANGULAR SHAPE 54"× 108 ".PLEASE GET THIS PRODUCT INVESTIGATED AND INSPECED AND ALL THE OTHER TABLE COVERS TOO AND ALL THE OTHER ITEMS TOO.MOST OF THEM ARE INTOXICATING.THANK YOU!
I purchased plastic table cover in pink color a few months ago and today 12-15-22 I opened this package. It made me nauseated when I opened it and used it and I threw up, because of that bad chemical plastic odor that this tablecloth has.Today when I opened it and used it I noticed it had a bad intoxicating odor coming out of it.It is made in China and the name of the brand is WINTIME LOS ANGELOS CALIFORNIA and the website on it is www.wintimeinc.com
Product: Sesame Street Table Topper Description: Thin film that "sticks in place; perfect for restaurants" Distributed by: HAMCO Incorporated, PO Box 1028, Gonzales, LA 70707, A Crown Crafts Comapnay Made in China www.tabletopper.com The film and the removable adhesive strips are very very thin. Thinner than what's required in ASTM F963 for disposable strips that clings to fingers. And the sheet used as placement mat is too thin and very dangerous. I worked in toy industry for 36 years and never felt this strong about the hidden hazzard of suffocation. You need to demand recall and make them thicker! My daughter bought it for her 9 month old baby. She brought it to our house and tried. It's hard to place it after the baby is already sitting. The baby is trying to play with it because of bright graphics. Film is too thin for this use and in violation of CPSIA. Great product but needs to be at least twice as thick! I worked in the toy industry so I know this is not safe product. The adhesive strips become loose and sticks to your fingers by static electricity. It's much less than what's required ... I see it as very dangerous product but easy fix. Please help them to make them thicker!! By the way, everytime I tried to upload photos, it does not work either way you programmed and locks up my computer. This is my 4 th time trying without photos. I hope it works.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to table linens on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are table linens?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, table linens have a danger score of 36/100 (low risk). An estimated 376 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from table linens?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 872 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from table linens increasing or decreasing?
Up 10% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for table linens injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,794 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by table linens?
Of all ER visits involving table linens, approximately 14.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (85.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with table linens?
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 36/100 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.
