Window Screens
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.
Building Materials & Home Structures · CPSC Code 1828
Down 19% over 5 years
The verdict
Window Screens carry a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 1,309 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 19% over the last five years.
- 41/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 1,309
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 18.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1828 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 41/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for window screens - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,309 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)18.2%
- Fatality rate0.27%
- 5-year trend-19%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Window Screens (CPSC product code 1828, in the Building Materials & Home Structures category) generate an estimated 1,309 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 26,172 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 41/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 19% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (1,750 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2012 (811 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for window screens is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 4,137 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the finger (2,020 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 12,214 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 18.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.27%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how window screens 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 | 8,044 | 4,170 | |
| 5-14 | 1,672 | 1,820 | |
| 15-24 | 1,056 | 507 | |
| 25-34 | 1,019 | 620 | |
| 35-44 | 658 | 667 | |
| 45-54 | 971 | 676 | |
| 55-64 | 1,071 | 414 | |
| 65-74 | 697 | 638 | |
| 75+ | 834 | 634 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Head | Fracture | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Finger | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
31YOM WITH RIGHT HAND AND FINGER PAIN WHEN A WINDOW LANDED ON HIS HAND. ABRASIONS TO RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER AND HAND. DX: FRACTURE OF FINGER OF RIGHT HAND, HAND INJURY
5 YOF LEANED AGAINST THE WINDOW SCREEN AND FELL FROM SECOND STORY WINDOW 10 FT ONTO GRAVEL. DX: LOW BACK PAIN.
2 YOM PUSHED THROUGH A SCREEN OF THE WINDOW AND FELL OUT OF SECOND STORY BEDROOM WINDOW ONTO SOFT DIRT. DX: CONCUSSION.
55YOM WAS REPLACING HIS POOL SCREEN AND WAS USING A BLADE WHEN HE CUT HIS RIGHT THUMB WITH THE BLADE DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT THUMB
6YOM NON VERBAL PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT FELL FROM A SECOND STORY WINDOW WHEN THE SCREEN FELL OUT. DX: FALL, FALL FROM WINDOW, AUTISM
5 YOF FELL FROM A 2ND STORY WINDOW WHEN THE SCREEN GAVE WAY. DX: CONTUSION OF BOTH LUNGS, FRACTURE PROXIMAL END OF RIGHT HUMERUS, BILATERAL PNEUMOTHORACES, CONCUSSION, LACERATION OF LIVER
2 YOM PUSHED THE WINDOW SCREEN OUT WHILE PLAYING AND FELL 11FT ONTO CONCRETE AT HOME. DX: FALL
3 YOM PUSHED THROUGH A WINDOW SCREEN AND FELL OUT OF A SECOND STORY WINDOW ONTO CONCRETE AT HOME. DX: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, OPEN FRACTURE OF TEMPORAL BONE INTRAPARENCHYMAL HEMATOMA LEFT SIDE OF BRAIN, ACUTE BLOOD LOSS ANEMIA, LACERATION OF SCALP, ALTERED MENTAL STATUS
2YOM WAS AT HOME PUSHING ON A WINDOW SCREEN ON THE SECOND STORY ABOVE GARAGE WHEN THE SCREEN POPPED OUT AND HE FELL OUT OF THE WINDOW 2 STORIES DX: CONTUSION OF FACE
21MOF PRESENTS AFTER A FALL WITH HEAD INJURY WHEN LEANING AGAINST A SCREEN ON THE WINDOW THAT POPPED OUT AND THE PATIENT FELL FROM THE WINDOW. DX: INJURY OF HEAD, ABRASION TO SHOULDER
5YOF PRESENTS AFTER A FALL FROM A 2ND STORY WINDOW ONTO CONCRETE WHEN SHE PUSHED ON THE SCREEN AND FELL THROUGH. DX: TRAUMA, SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE, SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGE
9YOF PRESENTS FROM HOME WITH PARENTS COMPLAINING OF LACERATION TO KNEE. PATIENT WAS PLAYING TAG INSIDE WHEN SHE TRIPPED AND HIT HER KNEE ON A METAL GRATE COVERING A WINDOW. DX: KNEE LACERATION
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The daughters bedroom, is on the south side of their home. When he entered her room, he noticed a burning electric/burning plastic-like insulation odor. He narrowed the odor down to the screens on the windows. The consumer is extremely concerned about the off-gassing odor and its possible effect to his family, as well as himself. The safety data sheet for this product indicated that the film contains hydrogen-chloride through decomposition, by combustion. The sun actually heats the sunscreen through UV exposure. Initially, the consumer contacted the installer, but they did not assist him. He then contacted the manufacturer and their rep. told him that they believed the product was safe and did not present a hazard.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to window screens on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are window screens?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, window screens have a danger score of 41/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 1,309 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from window screens?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 4,137 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from window screens increasing or decreasing?
Down 19% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for window screens injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 12,214 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by window screens?
Of all ER visits involving window screens, approximately 18.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (81.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with window screens?
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 Building Materials & Home Structures
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 41/100 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 0-4 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.
