Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2010, Wheelchairs ranks #28 of 838 by danger score (47/100) at ER-volume #70 of 838 (123,251/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #28
- danger rank of 838
- #70
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 47/100
- danger score
- 123,251/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 (47/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
47 Higher than most more dangerous than 96% 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 · 2010
Composite verdict
Composite Safety Score: 73/100
One verdict blending 3 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) | 17 | 91st | 41% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 123,251 | 100th | 35% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | N/A | N/A | redistributed | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 0 | 0th | 24% | CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count |
5-year injury trend has no recorded value for this category; its weight was redistributed proportionally across the dimensions that do, rather than treated as zero risk.
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 739,488 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1707. Segments sum to 739,488 - 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 Medical & Assistance Devices 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 Medical & Assistance Devices danger scores
How this 47/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for wheelchairs - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 123,251 ER visits/yr Very high volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 16.3% Very high admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.03% Above-typical fatality rate
- 5-year trendN/A
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 6-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2010, injury counts for wheelchairs are stable over the most recent five-year window, with the busiest year on record being 2010 (145,850 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (103,055 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 81,485 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the lower trunk (49,836 cases). The 75+ age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 382,391 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 16.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.03%) result in fatality.
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 wheelchairs 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 2010-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2010)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 2,189 | 1,597 | |
| 5-14 | 5,793 | 4,936 | |
| 15-24 | 10,103 | 8,302 | |
| 25-34 | 13,309 | 10,813 | |
| 35-44 | 20,468 | 20,063 | |
| 45-54 | 36,530 | 35,757 | |
| 55-64 | 40,741 | 46,927 | |
| 65-74 | 40,727 | 58,772 | |
| 75+ | 106,524 | 275,792 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Leg | Fracture | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
82YOF FELL TO FLOOR FROM WHEELCHAIR UNRESPONSIVESYNCOPE
88YOF FELL OUT OF WHEELCHAIR TO GROUNDFACIAL CONTUSION
85YOF PASSED OUT WHILE IN WHEELCHAIR AT NURSING HOMESYNCOPE
CONTUSION LEFT LOWER LEG-68YOM BECAME DIZZY AND FELL WHILE GETTING OUTOF WHEELCHAIR. C/O PAIN TO LEFT LOWER LEG.
88YOM, FELL FROM WHEELCHAIR WHILE BENDING OVER IN CHAIR, CERVICAL STRAIN, CONTUSION TOHEAD, HIP, KNEE, ABRASIONS TO FACE
71 YO F; PT LIFTED INTO BED FROM WHEELCHAIR,INJ FOREHEAD; DX: CONTUSIONFOREHEAD#
^90 Y/O F WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR IN A VAN WHEN IT MADE A TURN HER WHEELCHAIR TIPPED OVER DX: LACERATION BACK OF HEAD, CONTUSIONS FACE & R FOREARM
70 YOF FELL OUT OF WHEELCHAIR; LANDED ON FLOOR. HEMATOMA OF FOREHEAD
77 YOF UPPER ARM CONTUSION, FELL OUT OF WHEEL CHAIR AT NURSING HOME ANDSUSTAINED INJURY TO UPPER ARM ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL
63 YOM HIP CONTUSION, FELL WHEN GETTING INTO HIS WHEELCHAIR,
60 YO M HAS FALL ONTO WHEELCHAIR AT HOME STRIKING ARM. DX:DISTAL RADIUSFX.
84 Y/O/M LEANING FORWARD IN WHEELCHAIR / FELL HIT FACE ON FLOORDX: FACIAL AVULSION / NASAL CONTUSION
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to wheelchairs on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Home Medical & Assistance Devices
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Wheelchairs: cross-group products nearest on danger score (47/100), estimated annual ER visits (123,251/yr), and hospitalization share (16.3%). 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.
- Baseball (activity, Apparel Or Equipment; Excl Softball) Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment 124,063/yr
- Desks, Chests, Bureaus Or Buffets Home Furnishings & Fixtures 124,951/yr
- Nails, Screws, Carpet Tacks Or Thumbtacks Building Materials & Home Structures 119,861/yr
- Toilets Home Furnishings & Fixtures 127,074/yr
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
- Propane, Lp Or Butane Gas Tanks Or Fittings Laundry & Household Appliances 16.4%admitted
- Room-sized, Wall-to-wall Or Outdoor Carpeting Home Furnishings & Fixtures 16.3%admitted
- Coins Personal Care & Safety Products 16.4%admitted
- Electric Power-assisted Pedal Bicycles Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment 16.4%admitted
Related Products in Home Medical & Assistance Devices
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, Wheelchairs ranks #28 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #70 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does wheelchairs rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, wheelchairs ranks #28 by PlainSafety danger score (47/100) and #70 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (123,251/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from wheelchairs?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 81,485 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from wheelchairs increasing or decreasing?
No trend data.
Who is most at risk for wheelchairs injuries?
The 75+ age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 382,391 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by wheelchairs?
Of all ER visits involving wheelchairs, approximately 16.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (83.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with wheelchairs?
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.