Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Trays (excl. Food Warmers) ranks #213 of 838 by danger score (39/100) at ER-volume #316 of 838 (4,095/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #213
- danger rank of 838
- #316
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 39/100
- danger score
- 4,095/yr
- estimated ER visits (avg)
Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.
Where this category's danger score sits nationally
Danger score (39/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
39 Around the middle lower than 25% of 838 product categories
scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024
Composite verdict
Composite Safety Score: 58/100
One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 8 | 66th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 4,095 | 56th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | +11% | 77th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 5 | 34th | 20% | CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count |
Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.
Where 81,920 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 432. Segments sum to 81,920 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.
Two danger lenses
Same-group peer scores and this product's dial
The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Containers, Tableware & Packaging group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging danger scores
How this 39/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for trays (excl. food warmers) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 4,095 ER visits/yr Above median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 8.1% Above median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend+11%
Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for trays (excl. food warmers) are rising by about 11% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (5,363 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2015 (2,614 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 7,416 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (5,908 cases). The 75+ age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 18,114 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 8.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 5 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how trays (excl. food warmers) 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 Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 6,027 | 3,682 | |
| 5-14 | 3,291 | 3,437 | |
| 15-24 | 2,172 | 4,535 | |
| 25-34 | 3,351 | 4,247 | |
| 35-44 | 3,082 | 4,208 | |
| 45-54 | 2,877 | 5,773 | |
| 55-64 | 3,257 | 6,085 | |
| 65-74 | 2,296 | 5,376 | |
| 75+ | 4,068 | 14,046 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
76YOF TRIPPED OVER A FOOD TRAY LANDING ON OTTOMAN ON ABD. C/O DIZZINESS. NO PAINDX BENIGN VERTIGO
84YOF WAS HELPING LOAD THE DINNER TRAY TODAY WHEN SHE SLIPPED & FELL ON HER BUTTOCK. NO HEAD STRIKE. HE HAD IMMEDIATE PAIN OF THE RIGHT HIP. SHE HAS TAKEN HER DOSE OF MORPHINE AT THE HOSPICE & IT HAS NOT HELPED. DX: HIP FRACTURE
33YOF PUTTING AWAY A WOODEN TV TRAY WHEN A SPLINTER WENT UNDER HER FINGERNAIL. DX: SUBUNGUAL FOREIGN BODY OF FINGER.
77 YOF FELL HIT FACE ON TV TRAY STAND DX FACIAL CONTUSION, NECK CONTUSION
61YOM PRESENTS WITH CHEST WALL PAIN AND A FALL. PATIENT HAD A SLIP AND FALL YESTERDAY WHEN HE WAS CARRYING A TRAY OF FOOD. HE INJURED HIS LEFT HIP AND DID NOT INJURE HIS CHEST WALL. THERE IS A SMALL BRUISE TO HIS LEFT LOWER BACK OVERLYING THE HIP. DX: HISTORY OF FALLING, OTHER CHEST PAIN.
50YOM REPORTS HE WAS CARRYING A TRAY WHEN HE HYPEREXTENDED HIS LEG AND ALMOST FELL. COMPLAINS OF CALF PAIN. DX CALF STRAIN
36 YOM WITH FOOT PAIN AFTER DROPPING A HEAVY TRAY ON IT 4 DAYS PTA. DX ACUTE FOOT PAIN
60YOF BIB EMS FOR FALL AND SEIZURE TODAY FROM SHELTER. SHE WAS EATING HER TRAY OF FOOD AND DOES REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED. PATIENT CAME IN WITH ABRASION ABOVE THE LEFT EYE. PATIENT URINATED ON HERSELF, BIT HER TONGUE AND HAS A LOWER LIP LACERATION. DX: SEIZURE
67YOM WITH FALL AT NURSING HOME . PT GOT UP TO GET A TRAY AND FELL HITTING HEAD. DX; FALL
67YOM WITH CHEST PAIN AFTER HE WAS IT IN THE CHEST BY HIS FOOD TRAY DX: NAUSEA AND VOMITING
17YOF AT SCHOOL, WAS EMPTYING HER LUNCH TRAY AND SHE GOT HER LONG NAIL CAUGHT ON SOMETHING AND PULLED IT BACK DX; LT 5TH FINGERNAIL AVULSION
73YOF, TRIPPED AND FELL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PICK UP A FOOD TRAY STRIKING HEAD WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND NOT ON BLOOD THINNERS COMPLAINING OF WRIST PAIN, DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF DISTAL END OF LEFT RADIUS; LACERATION OF FOREHEAD
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The overhead handle on coffee serving tray cracked off under the weight of the filled coffee cups and filled creamer and sugar pot. This resulted in the tray falling to the ground in front of me. I received second degree burns on the tops of our feet and ankles from the coffee. The tray had almost never been used before and was never dropped or abused and showed no signs of damage to warn us before it happened. One or two seconds prior to when the handle completely cracked off I heard an audible ping. The handle appeared to be very poorly designed and seemed much to week and brittle to support the weight of the filled tray.
The tv tray collapsed suddenly, as it didn't have screws holding the supports in. My food went all over me and the floor. The tray hit me. Luckily it didn't cut me, even though it has some sharper edges, and my food was no longer hot, so it didn't burn me, but I could see this causing potential injuries. I reached out to the company, but they just said it was outside of the return window and didn't recognize it as being a quality or safety concern.
March 12, 2017 Sir: This letter is to inform your agency about what maybe a serious health risk associated with a product produced in Thailand. On February 19, 2017, I purchased a TV tray from the Target store located in Falls Church, Virginia - a copy of the sales receipt is enclosed. The TV tray is described in the enclosed "flyer" which came with the product. The flyer states: "Durable Top wood surface wipes clean quickly and easily." The tray does not have any visible coating or paint. The flyer displays the tray in what appears to be with a walnut finish. The TV tray I purchased did not have any visible coating. In fact, the surface appeared to be that of unfinished wood. The problem I encountered arose when I stained the tray's surface with a walnut stain on Monday, March 5, 2017. The use of the stain apparently reacted with what must be a coating intended to make it easier to clean the tray's surface. The application of the walnut stain may have caused an invisible and odorless gas to be produced. This caused me to experience a breathing problem which is still evident today. I had to remove the tray from my apartment in order to stop breathing the gas. As I write this letter, I still feel some minor breathing problems from the side effects from the gas. If this is a common problem with this product, it could prove to be very dangerous to people with respiratory conditions. I trust your agency will look into this product to prevent possible harm to others. Sincerely, [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]
Bacon Wave Microwave Bacon Tray partially melted when I cooked bacon in the microwave, following package directions. The tray has vertical ribs to hold the bacon strips. Plastic skewers are pierced through the slices to hold them in place. One of the ribs melted and was deformed. Another rib melted and had a piece of bacon embedded in the melted plastic. Also there was a chip of plastic embedded in at least one of the pieces of bacon. There may have been more that we inadvertently ate!! Unfortunately we did not notice the melting until we were cleaning the device, after we had eaten the bacon. Since we have no way to know if we ate any plastic, we don't know if we were victims or not. Therefore we are not reporting any victims.
I think the product got hotter that recommended (200) but did not even consider it could explode. I guess there is not a vent hole to prevent explosion if too hot and I have attached pictures. The pressure was so great that it cracked a pizza stone that was in the broiler section under the oven. The insert blew out of the Tray and was on fire in the bottom of the oven. I'm surprised the front glass did not blow out of the oven. You can see the pressure as the tray is buckled and the top section partially came apart from the bottom. We were about 30 seconds from removing from the oven and it could have seriously injured or killed people in the kitchen.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to trays (excl. food warmers) on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Trays (excl. Food Warmers): cross-group products nearest on danger score (39/100), estimated annual ER visits (4,095/yr), and hospitalization share (8.1%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Read with this product
About this data
CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.
According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Trays (excl. Food Warmers) ranks #213 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #316 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does trays (excl. food warmers) rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, trays (excl. food warmers) ranks #213 by PlainSafety danger score (39/100) and #316 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (4,095/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from trays (excl. food warmers)?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 7,416 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from trays (excl. food warmers) increasing or decreasing?
Up 11% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for trays (excl. food warmers) injuries?
The 75+ age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 18,114 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by trays (excl. food warmers)?
Of all ER visits involving trays (excl. food warmers), approximately 8.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (91.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with trays (excl. food warmers)?
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.
PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.