Hand tools · #34 of 45 by ER visits

Files & manual grinders: injury statistics

Manual filing, sanding and grinding tools. In 2025 they were involved in an estimated 3,465 emergency room visits in the US.

Files & manual grinders
Photo: hnhmarketing / Unsplash
3,465
ER visits in 2025
3.4%
admitted or transferred
+47%
change since 2016
21%
aged 65 or over

ER visits per year

2016–2025 · 71 sampled cases in 2025
2016: 2,35016’2017: 3,59617’2018: 3,35518’2019: 2,44519’2020: 3,24520’2021: 3,38521’2022: 2,56622’2023: 3,31023’2024: 4,43824’2025: 3,46525’

Injury type

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Laceration29%
Foreign body27%
Contusion or abrasion16%
Other12%
Strain or sprain3.2%
Fracture2.8%

Body part injured

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Eye38%
Finger24%
Hand11%
Lower arm4.2%
Face2.9%
Knee2.5%

Age of injured people

87% male · 2021–2025

0-40.0%
5-141.5%
15-248.1%
25-4433%
45-6436%
65-7413%
75+7.4%

Real cases

From NEISS case narratives, 2024–2025. Abbreviations expanded.

34-year-old male patient complains of welder's flash, feels like he has sandpaper in eyes no — diagnosis:.
57-year-old male, complains of injury left index finger, using a tool to sand down wood, caught finger with it — diagnosis: Finger injury, laceration left index finger.
43-year-old male presents with injury to index finger. Patient states he was using a sanding disc when his finger was caught and cut. — diagnosis: Index finger laceration.
21-year-old male laceration finger using a manual workshop grinder. — diagnosis: Laceration finger.
Recalls

Recalls of files & manual grinders

No CPSC recalls matched this tool type since 2010. Search all recalls.

Questions

How many people are injured by files & manual grinders each year?

About 3,465 people were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries involving files & manual grinders in 2025, according to CPSC's NEISS estimates. The average over 2021–2025 was 3,433 a year.

What are the most common injuries from files & manual grinders?

Laceration is the most common diagnosis (29% of cases 2021–2025), and the eye is the most often injured body part (38%).

How often do injuries from files & manual grinders need hospital admission?

3.4% of ER visits ended with the patient admitted or transferred to another hospital in 2021–2025.

About these numbers

National estimates from the CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), product codes 862, 898. A case is counted if the tool appears in any of its three product fields. Estimates under 1,200 or based on fewer than 20 cases are flagged. Methodology · CSV

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