Power tools · #43 of 45 by ER visits

Heavy-duty staplers: injury statistics

Workshop and construction staplers. In 2025 they were involved in an estimated 1,555 emergency room visits in the US.

Heavy-duty staplers
Photo: josealjovin / Unsplash
1,555
ER visits in 2025
4.2%
admitted or transferred
-57%
change since 2016
12%
aged 65 or over

ER visits per year

2016–2025 · 36 sampled cases in 2025
2016: 3,60116’2017: 3,25417’2018: 2,63618’2019: 2,45319’2020: 2,37920’2021: 1,88021’2022: 2,30222’2023: 2,28423’2024: 2,48224’2025: 1,55525’
Calculator

Air compressor CFM calculator

How it works →

Injury type

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Puncture28%
Foreign body24%
Laceration22%
Other9.6%
Contusion or abrasion6.4%
Fracture4.4%

Body part injured

Share of ER visits, 2021–2025

Finger36%
Hand19%
Foot15%
Eye4.6%
Lower leg3.3%
Internal3.2%

Age of injured people

70% male · 2021–2025

0-47.1%
5-148.9%
15-2418%
25-4430%
45-6424%
65-746.4%
75+5.5%

Real cases

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

74-year-old female patient visiting her daughter, while at the house her socks snagged on a staple on the ground causing her to fall — diagnosis: Fall, left wrist pain, closed nondisplaced fracture of carpal bone of left wrist.
9-year-old male stepped on a staple at home, house is under renovation — diagnosis: Puncture wound of left foot.
5-year-old female presents after scraping it against a staple sticking out of cabinetry. — diagnosis: Laceration of foot.
24-year-old male has a puncture wound to right fourth finger from a rusty staple — diagnosis: Puncture wound to finger.
Recalls

Recalls of heavy-duty staplers

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

Questions

How many people are injured by heavy-duty staplers each year?

About 1,555 people were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries involving heavy-duty staplers in 2025, according to CPSC's NEISS estimates. The average over 2021–2025 was 2,101 a year.

What are the most common injuries from heavy-duty staplers?

Puncture is the most common diagnosis (28% of cases 2021–2025), and the finger is the most often injured body part (36%).

How often do injuries from heavy-duty staplers need hospital admission?

4.2% 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 834. 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

Related tools

Routers1,812Torches1,961Soldering equipment & glue guns1,111Power sanders2,047