Lawn & garden · #27 of 45 by ER visits

Leaf blowers: injury statistics

Leaf blowers, lawn vacuums and mulchers. In 2025 they were involved in an estimated 7,366 emergency room visits in the US.

Leaf blowers
Photo: austin_7792 / Unsplash
7,366
ER visits in 2025
11%
admitted or transferred
+66%
change since 2016
44%
aged 65 or over

ER visits per year

2016–2025 · 150 sampled cases in 2025
2016: 4,44716’2017: 5,10317’2018: 6,39618’2019: 6,77719’2020: 5,55520’2021: 5,68521’2022: 5,90922’2023: 5,88723’2024: 7,70324’2025: 7,36625’
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Injury type

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Other19%
Fracture17%
Contusion or abrasion17%
Laceration15%
Foreign body6.9%
Internal injury6.9%

Body part injured

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Eye19%
Finger18%
Lower trunk9.8%
Head9.4%
Upper trunk8.3%
Lower leg4.4%

Age of injured people

74% male · 2021–2025

0-40.4%
5-142.2%
15-246.4%
25-4417%
45-6429%
65-7421%
75+24%

Real cases

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

48-year-old male says prior to arrival today at er patient bot his left thumb injured in te leaf blowers motor, patient sustained avulsion injury to thumb — diagnosis: Injury left thumb, avulsion injury to nail ofleft thumb.
24-year-old male was using a leaf blower and something got into his right eye — diagnosis: Corneal abrasion.
77-year-old female complains of fall after patient reports that on monday she tripped and fell backwards while doing yard work with a leaf blower resulting in a laceration to her right lower leg. — diagnosis: Noninfected skin tear of right lower extremity; fall; hematoma.
71-year-old male, complains of right-sided rib pain worsening with inspiration since suffered fall on 2 days ago, was blowing leaves stepping backwards tripped over branch and fell, — diagnosis: Closed fracture of multiple ribs of right side.
Recalls

Recalls of leaf blowers

12 since 2010
STIHL Recalls BR 800 Backpack Blowers Due to Laceration Hazard2025-11-06 · LacerationLeaf blowersECHO Recalls Gas-Powered Backpack Blowers Due to Fire Hazard2024-08-01 · FireLeaf blowersDR Power Equipment Recalls Leaf Blowers and Leaf Vacuums Due to Laceration Hazard2024-05-02 · LacerationLeaf blowersECHO Recalls Backpack Blowers and Replacement Shoulder Straps Due to Laceration and Impact Hazards2020-03-05 · Laceration, ImpactLeaf blowersCountry Home Products Recalls DR Walk Behind Leaf Blowers Due to Projectile Hazard2020-02-06 · ImpactLeaf blowersCountry Home Products Recalls Leaf and Lawn Vacuums Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (Recall Alert)2016-11-08 · FireLeaf blowersBLACK+DECKER™ Recalls Electric Blower/Vacuum/Mulchers Due to Laceration Hazard2016-09-13 · LacerationLeaf blowersRemington Electric Leaf Blowers Recalled by MTD Due to Laceration Hazard2014-04-22 · Laceration, ImpactLeaf blowers

Questions

How many people are injured by leaf blowers each year?

About 7,366 people were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries involving leaf blowers in 2025, according to CPSC's NEISS estimates. The average over 2021–2025 was 6,510 a year.

What are the most common injuries from leaf blowers?

Other is the most common diagnosis (19% of cases 2021–2025), and the eye is the most often injured body part (19%).

How often do injuries from leaf blowers need hospital admission?

10.9% 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 1461, 1441, 1433. 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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