Power tools · #35 of 45 by ER visits

Other power tools: injury statistics

Multi-tools, heat guns and other powered workshop tools. In 2025 they were involved in an estimated 3,409 emergency room visits in the US.

Photo: ryno_marais / Unsplash

3,409

ER visits in 2025

7.3%

admitted or transferred

-6%

change since 2016

18%

aged 65 or over

ER visits per year

2016–2025 · 76 sampled cases in 2025

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Injury type

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Laceration30%

Other16%

Contusion or abrasion12%

Foreign body12%

Fracture8.3%

Thermal burn3.9%

Body part injured

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Finger29%

Eye16%

Hand14%

Head5.4%

Wrist4.6%

Lower arm4.6%

Age of injured people

88% male · 2021–2025

0-40.7%

5-141.1%

15-2418%

25-4434%

45-6429%

65-7411%

75+6.8%

Real cases

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

57-year-old male with a laceration to the right middle finger while using a wood planer when a piece of wood lodged, causing the laceration — diagnosis: R middle fingertip laceration/partial avulsion involving nail.

77-year-old male presents after he was using a power tool, the stone that was connected to the power tool broke and it hurt his left leg and right foot. Went to doctor and given cefdinir. Has worsening redness and swelling to left thigh. — diagnosis: Celluli.

19-year-old male was helping his dad install a large, heavy n.s. Control panel & struck his head. — diagnosis: Head injury.

31-year-old male complains of l eye discomfort. The patient reports eye discomfort started after a fiberglass sanding wheel that he was using broke, creating significant dust that he believes got into his left eye. Occurred about 6 hrs ago. Has not noted any change.

Recalls

Recalls of other power tools

1 since 2010

Leatherman Recalls Charge Plus Multi-Tools Due to Laceration Hazard2025-07-31 · Laceration, CrashOther power tools

Questions

How many people are injured by other power tools each year?

About 3,409 people were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries involving other power tools in 2025, according to CPSC's NEISS estimates. The average over 2021–2025 was 3,001 a year.

What are the most common injuries from other power tools?

Laceration is the most common diagnosis (30% of cases 2021–2025), and the finger is the most often injured body part (29%).

How often do injuries from other power tools need hospital admission?

7.3% 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 code 809. 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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