Towel Racks Or Bars
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 657
Down 21% over 5 years
The verdict
Towel Racks Or Bars carry a danger score of 36/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 3,085 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 21% over the last five years.
- 36/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 3,085
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 10.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 75+
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 657 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for towel racks or bars - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume3,085 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)10.1%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-21%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Towel Racks Or Bars (CPSC product code 657, in the Home Furnishings & Fixtures category) generate an estimated 3,085 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 61,695 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 declining by about 21% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2018 (4,935 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (1,823 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for towel racks or bars is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 10,538 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the head (7,067 cases). The 75+ age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 13,444 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 10.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how towel racks or bars 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 | 1,635 | 1,620 | |
| 5-14 | 4,351 | 2,402 | |
| 15-24 | 3,219 | 4,441 | |
| 25-34 | 2,780 | 3,958 | |
| 35-44 | 2,528 | 3,507 | |
| 45-54 | 2,319 | 3,246 | |
| 55-64 | 2,831 | 3,038 | |
| 65-74 | 2,819 | 3,529 | |
| 75+ | 4,601 | 8,843 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
85YOM STATES IN THE BATHROOM AT HOME TOWEL ROD FELL OFF AND HIT L 4TH TOE DX TOE LACERATION
74YOF FELL AND HIT BACK OF HEAD, LACERATION NOTED TO BACK OF HEAD. PT WAS USING THE BATHROOM WHEN SHE GRABBED ONTO THE TOWEL RACK, WHICH GAVE WAY FROM THE WALL AND SHE SUBSEQUENTLY FELL BACK AFTER LOSING BALANCE, STRUCK BACK OF SCALP AGAINST DOOR. DX: SCALP LACERATION, FALL
73YOM WAS WALKING AND TRIPPED ON HIS WALKER AND FELL BACKWARDS, HITTING HIS HEAD AGAINST A TOWEL RACK. DX: HEAD LACERATION
73YOM COMPLAINS OF MUSCLE SPASMS IN FEET AND LEGS. HAD ONE IN HIS LOWER BACK AND TRIED TO GRAB AND TOWEL BAR AND IT BROKE AND HE FELL. DX: MUSCLE SPASM, RETROPERITONEAL LYMPHADENOPATHY, LEUKOCYTOSIS
70YOF, NH PT FELL FORWARD IN BATHROOM HIT HEAD ON TOWEL RACK, C/O LACERATION UPPER POSTERIOR SCALP DX: SCALP LACERATION
64YOF WAS HOLDING ONTO A METAL BAR IN THE BATHROOM THE BAR GAVE AWAY AND SHE FELL LANDING ON HER TAILBONE AS WELL AS HITTING HER HEAD. EXAM: DOES HAVE HEMATOMA ON RIGHT FOREHEAD, SHE DOES HAVE PAIN WHEN I PALPATE THE TAILBONE. DX: CONTUSION HEAD INITIAL, PAIN SACRAL.
20 YOM WRESTLING W/FRIEND, CUT R FOOT ON TOWEL RACK DX: FOOT LAC
28YOM STRUCK HIS HEAD ON THE CORNER OF A METAL TOWEL RACK NOW HAS A HEADACHE DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
29YOM WITH SCALP LAC S.P SOMEONE WAS THROWING FIRECRACKERS AT HIS HOUSE AND RUSHED OUT OF THE SHOWER AND HIT HEAD ON TOWEL RACK. DX: SCALP LAC
58YOM, LOST HIS BALANCE IN THE BATHROOM, REACHED OUT TO GRAB A TOWEL RACK TO BREAK HIS FALL AND IT BROKE, INJURING HIS RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER DX: FINGER PAIN
60YOF PRESENTED TO ED C/O NEEDLE STICK TO FINGER, PT STATED SHE PUNCTURED HER 4TH FINGER FROM A TOWEL CLIP INSTRUMENT. DX; ACCIDENTAL HYPODERMIC NEEDLE STICK
50YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE HIT HER HEAD ON A TOWEL RACK IN THE BATHROOM TODAY. DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
This 76 year old consumer thought there may be an issue with his towel heater sometime around August 2018 when he noticed slight bulging in the slats. As time has gone on he has noticed more and more bulging which has brought him to the conclusion that there may be excessive heat coming from the unit. If he turns this unit he can hear liquid gurgling inside. He is reporting this towel heater as a potential fire and burn hazard and a possibility of dowTherm fluid leakage. There are no injuries being reported He contacted the manufacturers representative around November/December 2018 and he was advised that a recall on other units did not apply to his unit and he should be happy to have had as many years of service from his towel heater.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to towel racks or bars on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are towel racks or bars?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, towel racks or bars have a danger score of 36/100 (low risk). An estimated 3,085 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from towel racks or bars?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 10,538 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from towel racks or bars increasing or decreasing?
Down 21% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for towel racks or bars injuries?
The 75+ age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 13,444 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by towel racks or bars?
Of all ER visits involving towel racks or bars, approximately 10.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (89.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with towel racks or bars?
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 75+ 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.
