Water Slides, Not Elsewhere Classified
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.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3293
Up 44% over 5 years
The verdict
Water Slides, Not Elsewhere Classified carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 2,677 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 44% over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 2,677
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3293 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for water slides, not elsewhere classified - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume2,677 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.4%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+44%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Water Slides, Not Elsewhere Classified (CPSC product code 3293, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 2,677 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 53,542 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 37/100 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 44% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (5,398 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2015 (1,282 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for water slides, not elsewhere classified is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 3,568 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (3,525 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 28,693 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 1.4% 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 slides, not elsewhere classified 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 | 3,313 | 2,656 | |
| 5-14 | 14,880 | 13,813 | |
| 15-24 | 3,205 | 3,662 | |
| 25-34 | 1,907 | 3,093 | |
| 35-44 | 1,777 | 1,776 | |
| 45-54 | 1,035 | 1,015 | |
| 55-64 | 261 | 539 | |
| 65-74 | 228 | 314 | |
| 75+ | 69 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Neck | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Other | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
33YOF SLIPPED ON A SPASH PAD HIT BACK OF HEAD ON CONCRETE, ADMITS TO DRINKING FEW DRINKS NO BAL LISTED DX HEAD LACERATION
2YOM HAS INJURY TO THE HEAD, UPPER BACK AND LOWER BACK FELL AT THE WATER PARK. DX: ABRASION OF LOWER BACK AND PELVIS, ABRASION OF THORAX, CONTUSION OF HEAD.
13YOM PRESENTS TO ER,AMBULATORY WITH C/O PAIN TO LEFT KNEE, STINGING, BURNING, REDNESS, AFTER FALL AT THE PARK ON TUESDAY,THEN RE-INJRY ON A WATERSLIDE ON THURSDAY MADE IT WORSE, DX: PT LEFT WITHOUT SEEING PHYSICIAN
3YOM STRUCK LEFT FOOT WHILE GOING DOWN WATERSLIDE WITH HIS MOM DX: FOOT PAIN
3YOF C/O LEFT ANKLE PAIN S/P PT ACCIDENTALLY RAN INTO ANOTHER GIRL ON A WATER SLIDE. DX: ACUTE LEFT ANKLE PAIN
66YOF PT DOVE INTO WATER SLIDE HEAD FIRST; C/O LEFT RIB PAIN - HAPPENED 4/16/24 DX: CONTUSION LEFT RIB
27YOF WAS GOING DOWN A WATER SLIDE WHEN SHE TWISTED HER LEFT KNEE DX: LEFT KNEE PAIN
16YOM WITH CONTUSION TO LOWER BACK FROM A WATER SLIDE DX: CONTUSION TO LOWER BACK
9YOF WAS GOING DOWN A WATER SLIDE WHEN SHE INJURED HER LEFT ANKLE DX: LEFT ANKLE INJURY
11YOM WAS PLAYING ON A WATER SLIDE THE OTHER DAY AND NOW HAS PAIN IN RIGHT EAR DX: OTITIS EXTERNA
4YOF WITH LEFT WRIST PAIN AFTER POSSIBLE WATER SLIDE INJURY. DX: ELOPED.
18YOM WAS SLIDING DOWN A PLASTIC WATER SLIDE AT THE*** BASE AND STRUCK HIS SHOULDER DX: RT SHOULDER CONTUSION
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to water slides, not elsewhere classified on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are water slides, not elsewhere classified?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, water slides, not elsewhere classified have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 2,677 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from water slides, not elsewhere classified?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 3,568 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from water slides, not elsewhere classified increasing or decreasing?
Up 44% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for water slides, not elsewhere classified injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 28,693 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by water slides, not elsewhere classified?
Of all ER visits involving water slides, not elsewhere classified, approximately 1.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with water slides, not elsewhere classified?
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 Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 37/100 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 5-14 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.
