Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Water Polo (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) ranks #717 of 838 by danger score (28/100) at ER-volume #547 of 838 (817/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #717
- danger rank of 838
- #547
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 28/100
- danger score
- 817/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 (28/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
28 Among the lowest lower than 85% 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: 18/100
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) | 2 | 19th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 817 | 30th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -38% | 13th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 0 | 0th | 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 16,342 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 3276. Segments sum to 16,342 - 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 Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 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.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear danger scores
How this 28/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 817 ER visits/yr Below median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 2.4% Low admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-38%
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 water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) are declining by about 38% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (1,318 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (187 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 2,037 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (1,431 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 11,237 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 2.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) 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 | 37 | 88 | |
| 5-14 | 1,783 | 1,664 | |
| 15-24 | 7,109 | 4,128 | |
| 25-34 | 726 | 76 | |
| 35-44 | 133 | 233 | |
| 45-54 | 127 | 142 | |
| 55-64 | 56 | 0 | |
| 65-74 | 16 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 15 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Dislocation | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Dislocation | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
24 YOF WAS PLAYING WATER POLO WHEN SHE WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE WITH SOMEONE'S ARM. DX: FRACTURE OF MEDIAL ORBITAL WALL RIGHT SIDE.
14YOF TO ED WITH FINGER INJ, PT ACCIDENTALLY HIT FINGER AND GOT THROUGH A TINY HOLE IN WATER POLO HELMET DURING GAME OF WATER POLO, DX LAC TO FINGER
30YOM COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER PLAYER WHILE PLAYING WATER POLO, INJ TOE, DX FX TOE
16YOM,PLAYING COMPETITIVE WATER POLO GAME YESTERDAY,WAS HIT IN HEAD,BY ANOTHER PLAYER KNEE,DX:CONCUSSION
16 YOM. LT HAND LAC WHILE PT WAS PRACTICING IN WATER POLO & HE STRUCK HIS LT HAND UP TO BLOCK A BALL WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER PLAYER. DX: COMPLICATED LAC OF LT HAND
21YOF, WAS PLAYING IN A WATER POLO GAME WHEN SHE HAD A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH ANOTHER PLAYER UNDER WATER, IMMEDIATELY FELT PAIN TO RIGHT TOE, DX: NAIL AVULSION OF TOE
16YOM WAS HIT IN THE HEAD BY SOMEONE'S HAND DURING WATER POLO PRACTICE IN THE POOL DX: FACIAL CONTUSION
16YOM WAS KICKED IN THE HEAD DURING A WATER POLO GAME DX: CONCUSSION
20YOM WAS PLAYING WATER POLO AND WAS HIT IN THE EYE. DX: CHI
16YOF HAS HEADACHE AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A BALL TO RIGHT SIDE OF HEAD WITH WATER POLO BALL AT PRACTICE. DX: CONCUSSION
16YOM HAS WRIST PAIN AFTER PT INJURED IT DURING WATER POLO. DX: RIGHT WRIST INJURY; CONTUSION OF RIGHT HAND
15YOM WAS PLAYING WATER POLO WHEN HE GOT HIT IN EYE. NOW HAS REDNESS. DX: LEFT CORNEAL ABRASION
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Water Polo (activity, Apparel Or Equipment): cross-group products nearest on danger score (28/100), estimated annual ER visits (817/yr), and hospitalization share (2.4%). 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 Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
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, Water Polo (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) ranks #717 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #547 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) ranks #717 by PlainSafety danger score (28/100) and #547 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (817/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from water polo (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 2,037 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Down 38% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for water polo (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 11,237 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by water polo (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving water polo (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 2.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with water polo (activity, apparel or equipment)?
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.