Toy Boxes Or Chests
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.
Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1353
Down 27% over 5 years
The verdict
Toy Boxes Or Chests carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 4,866 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 27% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 4,866
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1353 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for toy boxes or chests - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume4,866 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-27%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Toy Boxes Or Chests (CPSC product code 1353, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 4,866 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 97,321 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 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 27% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2011 (6,337 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2024 (2,913 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for toy boxes or chests is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 20,391 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (9,595 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 62,135 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 1.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 10 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how toy boxes or chests 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 | 40,051 | 22,084 | |
| 5-14 | 12,493 | 8,403 | |
| 15-24 | 575 | 1,113 | |
| 25-34 | 1,168 | 3,296 | |
| 35-44 | 740 | 1,620 | |
| 45-54 | 685 | 1,443 | |
| 55-64 | 80 | 1,399 | |
| 65-74 | 309 | 455 | |
| 75+ | 371 | 967 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2YOM STS R HAND GOT CRUSHED IN TOY BOX DX ACUTE R HAND ECCHYMOSIS AFTER CRUSH INJURY
5YOF TRIPPED & FELL HIT HEAD ON TOY BOX AT HOME DX MINOR CLOSED HEAD INJURY
72 YOF FELT LIGHTHEADED AND PASSED OUT TWICE THIS MORNING, ONCE FALLING TO THE GROUND, THE OTHER TIME FALLING ONTO A TOY BOX. DX: SYNCOPE, CLOSED HEAD INJURY
8YOM TRIPPED OVER HIS TOY BOX STRIKING HIS RIGHT ELBOW DX: FRACTURED ELBOW
16MOM,CLIMBED UP A TOY BOX AN FELL BACKWARD ONTO TILE AN HIT HEAD,DX:SCALP LAC
5 YOM TOY BOX FELL HIT PT IN CHEST DX CHEST WALL PAIN
8YOF JUMPED OFF A TOY BOX LANDING ONTO RIGHT FOOT NOW IS LIMPING DX RIGHT FOOT INJURY
11YOM PT FELL OVER A *** BIN FALLING ON HIS LT ARM HAS PAIN FROM ELBOW TO WRIST DX: FALL
5YOM OLDER SIBLING DROPPED A TOY BOX ON TOP OF HIS LEFT FOOT DX: CONTUSION FOOT
39YOM LAC FINGER ON A TOY BOX. DX: LAC FINGER
4YOF TRIPPED AND FELL ON THE CORNER OF A WOODEN TOY BOX. DX: FOREHEAD LACERATION
6YOF SMASHED LEFT HAND IN A TOY BOX AT SCHOOL 1 DAY AGO. DX: HAND INJURY.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
My 3 year old daughter was playing when she lost her balance and fell into the toy chest and it split the bridge of her nose open. We had to go to the emergency room for 5 stitches across her nose. If the product is for toddlers the edges should have been round to prevent this. Now she will have a scar on her face for life!!!
We purchased a Circo Toybox from Target - the lid shuts slowly as to not pinch little fingers. About one month after using this the wooden block that the metal arm that attaches the lid to the box disintigrated. That left little slivers of wood and small screws in the toybox. I didn't realize it had happened until I saw one of my 14 month old twins with a screw in their mouth, and the other with sharp slivers of wood in her hands. I'm quite concerned that this is a product default - the lid was never slammed, the product was installed correctly. The wooden block appears to be made of partical board, not solid block, so only the middle part broke apart. the two ends remain intact. I do have pictures I can send. i notified target, who told me to come in for a refund. They didn't seem to take the report too seriously - didn't say they would investigate, etc. So I figured I'd better report to you.
This toddler bath toy organizer has razor sharp hooks that caused cuts on several students hands. They sell it on Amazon and the box shows a CPSIA seal but I don't think that it would pass your inspection! https://www.amazon.com/Bath-Organizer-Original-Tub-Cubby/dp/B01DAPMQO4
We purchased a furniture from Ashley furniture manufacturer. My three year old was injured by the chest falling on him. Luckily some of the impact was on side wall, hence it was not severe, with no fractures.There is no safety instructions nor any placeholder for hooking the chest against wall. It is stil being sold in stores. How do I ensure they recall this and possibly sue them for this safety violation
No injuries occurred. Hinge pressure ripped the support block (that manufacturer attaches) off and sent the screw holding it on flying. The screw hit my 2-year old daughter but caused no injuries as the round end hit her. She was opening the toy box to get toys out of it (normal use).
Tonight my daughter was okay in with one of her many shopkins toys made by moose toys . She suddenly ran up to me hand covered in blood. The metal hinged top on the box sliced open her finger. She needed it to have oreasure held on it to stop the bleeding and has had it [REDACTED] shut. I want o the oarents to knwo the dangers of this product
I bought an Ultimate Toy Chest from Pottery Barn Kids in large part due its safety hinges that ensure the lid closes slowly and smoothly. However, after only a month of using the toy chest, I found my 14-month-old toddler with the screws to the hinges in his hand. We re-screwed the hinge only for the same thing to happen last week. I called PBK and they are sending a replacement toy chest, but a friend who works in injury prevention suggest that I report the incident here in the event it isn't an isolated incident.
toy box with soft close lid -- supposed to close slowly so the lid will not slam down on a kids hand; appears spring broke and the lid snapped off the screws holding the lid to the hinges and the rest of the toy box; luckily an adult was closing the lid when this happened or a kid could have been very injured
Showing 8 of 10 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to toy boxes or chests on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are toy boxes or chests?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, toy boxes or chests have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 4,866 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from toy boxes or chests?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 20,391 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from toy boxes or chests increasing or decreasing?
Down 27% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for toy boxes or chests injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 62,135 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by toy boxes or chests?
Of all ER visits involving toy boxes or chests, approximately 1.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with toy boxes or chests?
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 Toys & Children's Recreation
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 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.
