A product does not have to look dangerous to send someone to the emergency room. In many cases, the risks may be hiding in plain sight. Ladders may look safe until they collapse suddenly, leading to fall injuries. Heaters may work well until they tip over and cause fires or burn injuries. Children’s products may appear to be safe, but straps that hold children in place may break suddenly, causing head injuries when a child falls to the floor.
Consumer products are part of everyone’s daily lives, and injuries commonly occur when they fail to function correctly, contain parts that break down, or have other hazards that put people at risk. When something goes wrong, the consequences can range from cuts and burns to broken bones, , or drowning. In the worst cases, defective products may cause .
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According to statistics compiled by the National Safety Council, the number of cases in the United States in which consumer products caused injuries saw a significant increase in 2024. That year, more than 15 million people were injured by products, and the total number of injuries increased by 18% from the previous year. 2024 saw the highest numbers of product-related injuries since 2017.
The Products Most Often Linked to Injuries
The products associated with the highest number of emergency room visits are not always the ones people expect. Often, they are familiar household and recreational items used every day, including:
Stairs, Floors, and Home Fixtures
A large share of product-related emergency room visits involve structural features in the home, including stairs, steps, floors, and flooring materials. These cases often involve falls, which are a leading cause of serious injuries. Loose flooring, unstable railings, and slippery surfaces can all lead to serious accidents.
Beds, Chairs, and Household Furniture
Furniture is another major category of products that cause injuries. Beds, bedframes, chairs, sofas, and tables are frequently linked to falls, crush injuries, and incidents where furniture tips over and lands on children or others. Children can be seriously injured in accidents involving dressers, chests, and televisions that tip over.
Ladders and Step Stools
Ladders consistently rank among the most common products that cause injuries. These injuries may include bone fractures, concussions, and back injuries. Issues such as design problems, locking failures, weak joints, and failure to warn consumers about weight limits can play a role in these cases.
Exercise and Recreational Equipment
Bicycles, treadmills, trampolines, playground equipment, weights, and other recreational products send large numbers of people to the emergency room every year. These products can cause collisions, falls, entanglement injuries, and head trauma.
Kitchen and Household Appliances
Appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioning units, air fryers, pressure cookers, toaster ovens, space heaters, and blenders are often involved in burn injuries, cuts, and fire-related incidents. Faulty switches, defective wiring, overheating batteries, or other safety issues can turn these devices into serious hazards.
Children’s Products
Cribs, sleepers, swings, highchairs, and toys may cause harm to children even when adults use these products properly. Small design flaws can lead to suffocation hazards, entrapment risks, or fall injuries.
Major Product Recalls in Recent Years
Manufacturers may perform recalls when large numbers of products that have been sold turn out to be dangerous. According to a study published by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, there were 869 recalls performed in 2024, which was an eight-year high. The report highlighted several types of products that were recalled because they caused injuries, including:
- BowFlex Adjustable Dumbbells:Â Around 3.8 million of these exercise products were recalled because of problems with weights coming loose, leading to injuries such as concussions, broken toes, and bruises.
- Foodi Pressure Cookers: Around 1.8 million of these cooking products were recalled due to reports of lids coming loose, causing hot foods to spray on people and leading to serious burn injuries.
- Oster Countertop Ovens: Almost 1.4 million of these toaster ovens were recalled because of doors that closed unexpectedly, causing burn injuries.
- Igloo Rolling Coolers: About 1.1 million of these coolers were recalled because of retracting handles that caused injuries to people’s fingertips, resulting in amputations, broken bones, or lacerations.
- RYOBI Pressure Washers: 780,000 of these cleaning devices were recalled due to a risk of overheating and explosions, which led to injuries to people’s hands, faces, and eyes.
Options for People Injured by Dangerous Products
While recalls may offer some remedies for people who have used dangerous products, they may not fully address the effects of injuries that have occurred. Injury victims may be able to bring claims against manufacturers, distributors, or retailers. This may allow them to obtain compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other losses that they have suffered due to defective products.
attorney Jason Burress stated, “Consumers should be able to trust that the products they purchase are safe when they are used as intended and while following the instructions that have been provided. Unfortunately, many products have hidden dangers, and the harm they can cause can affect people’s lives in many ways. Product manufacturers or other responsible parties should be held liable for putting the safety of the public at risk.â€
