Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Waterbeds Or Water Pillows ranks #622 of 838 by danger score (31/100) at ER-volume #660 of 838 (325/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #622
- danger rank of 838
- #660
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 31/100
- danger score
- 325/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 (31/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
31 Lower than most lower than 74% 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: 38/100
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) | 14 | 87th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 325 | 19th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -58% | 14th | 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 6,511 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 662. Segments sum to 6,511 - 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 Home Furnishings & Fixtures 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.
Home Furnishings & Fixtures danger scores
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for waterbeds or water pillows - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 325 ER visits/yr Low volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 14.2% Very high admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-58%
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 waterbeds or water pillows are declining by about 58% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (1,113 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2018 (16 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is other to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 483 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (336 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,319 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 14.2% 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 waterbeds or water pillows 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 | 503 | 270 | |
| 5-14 | 194 | 392 | |
| 15-24 | 272 | 89 | |
| 25-34 | 178 | 713 | |
| 35-44 | 541 | 579 | |
| 45-54 | 551 | 768 | |
| 55-64 | 294 | 410 | |
| 65-74 | 169 | 104 | |
| 75+ | 314 | 165 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Elbow | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
56YOF, ATTEMTPING TO GET OUT OF WATER BED VERSUS BED WHEN HAND SLIPPPED STRIKING THE BEDFRAME, DX: LEFT HAND PAIN
3YOM SLEEPS IN A WATER BED WITH HIS SISTER. HE WAS TRYING TO CRAWL OFF THE BED WHEN HIS LEFT LEG GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN THE MATTRESS AND THE BED FRAME DX: LEFT TIBIAL FRACTURE
65YOF PATIENT WAS TAKING APART A OLD WATERBED WHEN THE HEAD BOARD PIECE FELL AND HIT THE TOP OF THE LEFT SIDE OF HER HEAD DX: POST CONCUSSION SYNDROME
69YOM PATIENT WAS AT HOME, HE WENT TO GET INTO HIS WATERBED AND HE SLIPPED AND FELL DOWN ONTO THE FLOOR, MULTIPLE ABRASIONS TO HIS CHEST WALL, ELBOWS, HIPS, AND KNEES DX: TRAUMATIC RHABDOMYOLYSIS, ABRASIONS OF MULTIPLE SITES, FALL AT HOME
56 YOM SLIPPED OUT OF WATER BED LAST NIGHT, WAS ON HIS KNEES AND COULD NOT GET BACK UP.DX: KNEE PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN, ADULT FAILURE TO THRIVE.
59 YOF WAS MOVING A FRIEND'S WATER BED AND FELT A POP . DX: RIB STRAIN.
70YOF FELL OFF OF WATER BED WHILE HANGING CURTAINS AND BRUISED RIBS AT HOME. DX: RIB CONT.
72YOM-PT STATES WAS GETTING OUT OF WATERBED ABOUT 4 THIS MORNING AND FELL AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BED CONTINUIG TO HAVE PAIN DX; CHEST WALL CONTUSION
54YOF C/O LT LEG PAIN ONSET 3 MTHS AGO WHEN SHE WAS ASSISTED OUT OF A DEFLATED WATER BED BY A FRIEND WORSE PAST 3 DAYS DX: LIKELY MUSCULAR STRAIN
44YOM REPORTS HAVING SEIZURE AND FELL ON SIDE OF WATER BED INJURING RIBS AT HOMEDX RIB PAIN
41 YOM INJURED SHOULDER,PUSHING OFF BED RAIL OF WATERBED,AT HOME. DX-RIGHT SHOULDER STRAIN
81 YOM FROM HOME HAS A WATERBED; WIFE REPORTS BED WAS NOT SET UP CORRECTLY BY HIS NURSES AND WAS LOOSE; HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO SITUATE HIMSELF AND FELL OUT OF BED ONTO HIS ABDOMEN; NO TRAUMA IN PE DX FALL, AFIB WITH RVR
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to waterbeds or water pillows on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Home Furnishings & Fixtures
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Waterbeds Or Water Pillows: cross-group products nearest on danger score (31/100), estimated annual ER visits (325/yr), and hospitalization share (14.2%). 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.
- Horseback Riding (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) Sports & Recreation Equipment 14.2%admitted
- Mopeds Or Power-assisted Cycles Sports Protective Equipment & Gear 14.1%admitted
- < 5 Poisonings - No Other Code Fireworks & Explosives 14.1%admitted
- Extension Or Straight Ladders Floors, Walls & Ceilings 14.1%admitted
Related Products in Home Furnishings & Fixtures
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, Waterbeds Or Water Pillows ranks #622 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #660 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does waterbeds or water pillows rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, waterbeds or water pillows ranks #622 by PlainSafety danger score (31/100) and #660 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (325/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from waterbeds or water pillows?
The most common injury is other to the lower trunk, accounting for approximately 483 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from waterbeds or water pillows increasing or decreasing?
Down 58% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for waterbeds or water pillows injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,319 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by waterbeds or water pillows?
Of all ER visits involving waterbeds or water pillows, approximately 14.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (85.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with waterbeds or water pillows?
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.