Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Wigs, Falls Or Hairpieces ranks #574 of 838 by danger score (32/100) at ER-volume #603 of 838 (521/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #574
- danger rank of 838
- #603
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 32/100
- danger score
- 521/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 (32/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
32 Lower than most lower than 68% 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: 28/100
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) | 1 | 6th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 521 | 26th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | +39% | 90th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 2 | 25th | 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 10,424 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1605. Segments sum to 10,424 - 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 Personal Care & Safety Products 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.
Personal Care & Safety Products danger scores
How this 32/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for wigs, falls or hairpieces - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 521 ER visits/yr Below median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 0.9% Low admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend+39%
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 wigs, falls or hairpieces are rising by about 39% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (1,161 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (139 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is derma/conjunct to the head, accounting for approximately 1,994 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the head (1,397 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,485 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 0.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how wigs, falls or hairpieces 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 | 84 | 201 | |
| 5-14 | 12 | 815 | |
| 15-24 | 0 | 2,485 | |
| 25-34 | 90 | 1,995 | |
| 35-44 | 0 | 1,869 | |
| 45-54 | 88 | 1,227 | |
| 55-64 | 72 | 967 | |
| 65-74 | 0 | 474 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 45 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Derma/conjunct | |
| Head | Other | |
| Face | Derma/conjunct | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Face | Other | |
| Neck | Derma/conjunct | |
| Ear | Laceration | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Head | Burn, Chemical | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Ear | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
56YOF C/O GENERALIZED HIVES W/ ITCHING STATES HAVING ALLERGIC REACTION TO THE HAIR SHE HAD DONE THIS EVENING DX: ALLERGIC REACTION
27YOF PT C/O RASH AND ITCHING TO FACE AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH AFTER PUTTING ON A WIG THIS MORNING DX: ALLERGIC REACTION
74YOF PRESENTS COMPLAINING OF WORSENING RASH TO HER NECK, BACK AND THROAT. GOT HAIR DONE WITH SYNTHETIC HAIR LAST WEEK. SINCE HAS HAD A RASH. EXAM:BILATERAL HIVES WITH CONTACT DERMATITIS TYPE CHANGES. DX: DERMATITIS CONTACT, RASH
42YOF C/O HEAD LACERATION. PLACED A NEW WIG 4 WEEKS AGO AND HAS NOT TAKEN IT OFF UNTIL TODAY. LARGE LACERATION AND WOUND TO FRONTAL FOREHEAD. SCAN WAS NEGATIVE. DX: LACERATION OF SCALP
38YOF PRESENTS TO ED COMPLAINS OF SKIN PROBLEM TO FOREHEAD. PLACED A NEW WIG ON AND BELIEVES IT PULLED AND OPENED SKIN ON HER FOREHEAD. DX: SKIN ABRASION,
67 YOF WITH CUT TO HER SCALP, BEHIND RIGHT EAR, AFTER GETTING A WEAVE PUT IN 2 MONTHS PTA. DX ABSCESS
15 YOF HAD A WEAVE/ EXTENSIONS PLACED IN HER HAIR ON 7/4 THAT CUT INTO HER POSTERIOR SCALP CAUSING A 7CM LACERATION. DX: ACUTE POSTERIOR SCALP WOUND
22YOF C/O FACIAL SWELLING S/P PT STATES SHE RECENTLY WENT SWIMMING AND NORMALLY REMOVES HER HAIR WEAVE TO DO SO, BUT DIDN'T THIS TIME AND BELIEVES THE CHLORINE IN HER HAIR WEAVE IRRITATED HER FACE. DX: FACIAL SWELLING
3YOF WITH RASH ON HAIR LINE AFTER PT WORE A WIG FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY. PT ALSO HAS BUMPS OVER ARMS AND LEGS. DX: ALLERGIC CONTACT DERMATITIS DUE TO OTHER AGENTS
57YOF WITH PAIN TO HER SCALP AND EYE SWELLING. PATIENT STATES THIS STARTED ABOUT A WEEK AGO WHEN SHE HAD SYNTHETIC BRAIDS PLACED. DX: CONTACT DERMATITIS, PERIORBITAL EDEMA
28YOF, WAS WEARING A WIG FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS WHEN DEVELOPED A PAINFUL LUMP TO THE BACK OF HER SCALP, NO THINNERS, DX: ABRASION OF SCALP WITH INFECTION
58YOF RASH. PT REPORTS SHE HAD LONG BRAIDS IN HER HAIR THAT WERE IRRITATING HER HEAD AND BACK LAST MONTH. SHE TOOK THE BRAIDS OUT AND DEVELOPED A RASH ON HER ABDOMEN AND BACK. DX: RASH
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
my daughter developed a cough from hair extensions. the product was ruwa (1B) hair extensions. my daughter was is 10 used them. the product was being used in her head (hair extensions) no injuries developed bad cough had to go to her doctor and was prescribed a inhaler
SAFETY CONCERN: Wigs & hair extensions that pose a threat of serious injury caused by ignition from an open flame source. BACKGROUND: Historically, the wig market has been supplied with wigs and hair extensions composed of flame retardant fibers, such as modacrylic, PVC, and flame retardant polyester. An emerging threat is being posed by the use of non-flame retardant fibers, such as non-FR polyester, as a material for such products. Potential ignition sources include open flame cooking devices, candles, lighters or igniters, etc. In addition to the threat of direct burning from the flame produced, a significiant threat is also posed by the melting polyester resin when it contacts the skin of the wearer.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to wigs, falls or hairpieces on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Personal Care & Safety Products
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Wigs, Falls Or Hairpieces: cross-group products nearest on danger score (32/100), estimated annual ER visits (521/yr), and hospitalization share (0.9%). 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 Personal Care & Safety Products
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, Wigs, Falls Or Hairpieces ranks #574 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #603 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does wigs, falls or hairpieces rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, wigs, falls or hairpieces ranks #574 by PlainSafety danger score (32/100) and #603 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (521/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from wigs, falls or hairpieces?
The most common injury is derma/conjunct to the head, accounting for approximately 1,994 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from wigs, falls or hairpieces increasing or decreasing?
Up 39% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for wigs, falls or hairpieces injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,485 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by wigs, falls or hairpieces?
Of all ER visits involving wigs, falls or hairpieces, approximately 0.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with wigs, falls or hairpieces?
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.