Ladder and Power Tool Injuries at Home: Emergency Room Estimates for 2025
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (NEISS). Data covers Calendar year 2025.
Summary
An estimated 189,730 people were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2025 for injuries involving ladders, and about one in four was admitted, transferred or held for observation. Table saws accounted for an estimated 31,444 emergency visits, 4,079 of them amputations. The figures come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's injury sample, which excludes injuries that happen at work.
An estimated 189,730 people were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2025 for injuries involving ladders (95% confidence interval 143,368 to 236,092), not counting injuries at work. Source [2]
An estimated 45,007 of those ladder injuries, about 24%, were admitted to hospital, transferred or held for observation (95% confidence interval 28,646 to 61,368). Our calculation from [2]
Men accounted for an estimated 144,106 ladder injuries in 2025, 76% of the total, and people aged 65 and older for an estimated 59,944, about 32%. Our calculation from [2], [1]
A fracture was diagnosed in an estimated 74,467 ladder injuries in 2025, 39% of the total. Our calculation from [1]
Table saws were involved in an estimated 31,444 emergency department visits in 2025 (95% confidence interval 23,014 to 39,874), including an estimated 4,079 amputations (2,511 to 5,647), about 13%. Our calculation from [2]
Power saws of all powered types were involved in an estimated 62,321 emergency department visits in 2025; an estimated 59,484 of the injured, 95%, were male. Our calculation from [2]
Nail guns were involved in an estimated 10,860 emergency department visits by consumers in 2025 (95% confidence interval 7,436 to 14,284), hammers in an estimated 25,330 and drills in an estimated 24,492. Source [2]
In a 2017 special study, CPSC staff estimated 26,500 emergency-treated injuries from contact with a table saw blade; 96.4% involved a finger and 10.7% were amputations. Source [5]
Across all consumer products, CPSC estimates 15.1 million emergency-treated injuries in 2024 and 38.8 million medically attended injuries, about 2.6 times as many. Our calculation from [4]
| Product (NEISS code) | Estimated injuries | 95% confidence interval | Sampled cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ladders (618, 4077, 4078) | 189,730 | 143,368 to 236,092 | 3,907 |
| Power saws, all powered types | 62,321 | 46,593 to 78,050 | 1,152 |
| Bench or table saws (841) | 31,444 | 23,014 to 39,874 | 560 |
| Hammers (827) | 25,330 | 19,296 to 31,364 | 482 |
| Drills (855, 856, 871, 847) | 24,492 | 17,897 to 31,087 | 457 |
| Paints, varnishes or shellacs (960) | 14,587 | 9,813 to 19,362 | 330 |
| Portable circular saws (832) | 10,960 | 7,440 to 14,481 | 219 |
| Nail guns or stud drivers (882) | 10,860 | 7,436 to 14,284 | 193 |
| Scaffolding (1816) | 6,207 | 4,045 to 8,369 | 119 |
| Hand saws (830) | 2,933 | 1,805 to 4,060 | 61 |
From CPSC's NEISS query tool. Table saws and circular saws are also counted in the power saw row, and a visit can involve more than one product, so rows should not be added together.
| Measure | Ladders | Table saws |
|---|---|---|
| All emergency-treated injuries | 189,730 | 31,444 |
| Male | 144,106 | 30,048 |
| Female | 45,598 | 1,397 |
| Age 65 and older | 59,944 | 12,029 |
| Admitted, transferred or held | 45,007 | 2,271 |
| Fracture | 74,467 | 7,482 |
| Laceration | 21,993 | 23,574 |
| Amputation | Too few cases to estimate | 4,079 |
Age 65 and older, ladder diagnoses and table saw sex figures are summed from CPSC's public 2025 file; the rest are from the query tool. A record can carry two diagnoses, so diagnosis rows can overlap.
The figures are national estimates from CPSC's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. They count emergency visits in which a product was involved. They do not show that the product was defective or that the person was remodeling: a hammer injury may come from hanging a picture.
CPSC's coding manual tells hospitals not to report injuries that occur while working, so these are injuries to consumers and do-it-yourselfers, not to contractors on the job. Injuries treated at urgent care, a doctor's office or at home are not included.
- Figures with a confidence interval were returned by CPSC's NEISS Estimates Query Builder on November 12, 2026, for treatment year 2025.
- Where the query tool did not return a breakdown, the figure is the sum of CPSC's statistical weights in its public 2025 file for records carrying the product code in any of the three product fields, which is how CPSC defines a national estimate. Totals computed this way matched the query tool to within one on every cell compared.
- "Admitted, transferred or held" is the query tool's hospital-admission group, which includes patients held for observation.
- Percentages are our arithmetic on those estimates.
- Estimates from a sample, not counts. Each carries sampling error; figures summed from the public file have no confidence interval.
- 2025 only. CPSC changed its hospital sample in 2024, so these figures should not be compared with 2023 or earlier.
- Emergency departments only, and not work injuries.
- CPSC's own 2024 report groups ladders with stools and gives a larger figure (about 274,000) for that combined group.
- Product involvement is not cause, and the data has no field for whether the person was doing home improvement.
- The 2017 table saw study is a separate one-off study, read from CPSC staff's 2023 rulemaking package, and is not comparable with the 2025 product-code estimate.
Each reference below is cited for a specific claim on this page. Codes, fees and product specifications change — confirm current requirements with the authority having jurisdiction before relying on them for a project decision.
- [1] Archived annual NEISS data, 2025 public file (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: Age, diagnosis and sex breakdowns not returned by the query tool. Accessed November 12, 2026.
- [2] NEISS Estimates Query Builder (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: 2025 product estimates with confidence intervals. Accessed November 12, 2026.
- [3] NEISS Data Highlights, Calendar Year 2024 (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: CPSC's published 2024 product-group figures, including ladders and stools combined. Accessed November 12, 2026.
- [4] Consumer Product-Related Injuries and Deaths in the United States (April 2026) (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: All-product totals; 2024 sample change. Accessed November 12, 2026.
- [5] Safety Standard Addressing Blade-Contact Injuries on Table Saws, supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: 2017 table saw special study. Accessed November 12, 2026.
- [6] NEISS Coding Manual, January 2025 (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Cited for: Work injuries are not reported; product codes. Accessed November 12, 2026.
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Iron Crest Remodel. "Ladder and Power Tool Injuries at Home: Emergency Room Estimates for 2025." Published November 12, 2026; reviewed November 12, 2026. https://ironcrestremodel.com/research/safety/diy-ladder-power-tool-injuries
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