Consumer Product Injuries and Deaths Continue To Rise for Seniors: CPSC

Federal regulators indicate there has been an average of more than 41,000 annual consumer product deaths among older Americans in recent years.

Federal officials are using National Safety Month this June to highlight a troubling 26% increase in fatalities linked to consumer products commonly used among Americans aged 65 and older since 2018.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its annual report on senior injuries and deaths associated with consumer products for 2024 on June 4, aiming to raise awareness of key hazards and promote safer, more independent living for older adults.

According to the report, consumer products are now linked to more than 41,000 senior deaths and approximately 3.5 million emergency department visits each year.

CPSC officials say many of these incidents could be prevented through better product design, stronger safety standards, and increased awareness of common in-home hazards.

The CPSC categorizes senior product-related injuries and deaths into three primary hazard types: non-mechanical, riding and non-riding. This classification helps identify where the most serious risks lie and how they vary by product type and usage.

• Non-mechanical hazards include fires, electrical injuries, skin irritation, ingestion and poisoning.
• Riding product hazards involve items such as bicycles, golf carts, e-scooters and other mobility devices.
• Non-riding hazards account for the majority of incidents and include falls, cuts, impact injuries, and accidents involving furniture or other stationary items.

To illustrate the growing problem, the agency noted that injury rates rose from 3.3 million in 2018 to 3.5 million in 2023, while product-related deaths increased from 34,198 to 43,198 over roughly the same period.

Non-riding products made up 95.8% of all injuries and nearly 85% of deaths, far exceeding the rates associated with non-mechanical (1.4% of injuries, 7% of deaths) and riding products (2.8% of injuries, 1.4% of deaths). 

Falls were the leading cause of these injuries and deaths, with incidents most commonly occurring on floors and beds, followed by stairs, ramps and steps.

Consumer Product Risks

The report comes amid yet another CPSC record for product recalls that violate the Safety Standard for Adult Portable Bed Rails, which can pose deadly entrapment and strangulation hazards.

In 2024, more than 200,000 Medical King portable bed rails were recalled after a man died after becoming trapped between the mattress and the bed rail.

Following the recall, the CPSC issued a consumer safety alert, noting that the agency has conducted at least nine portable bed rail recalls since 2021, affecting more than 3 million products, linked to at least 18 deaths.

In addition, portable generators were the leading cause of non-fire-related poisoning deaths in 2020, due to carbon monoxide exposure, and such incidents have been steadily increasing. The risk is especially high during tropical storm season, when consumers are most likely to rely on them.

Portable generators have also been linked to burn hazards. In 2023, Generac recalled 64,000 units after more than two dozen reports indicated that the generators expelled fuel onto users, causing severe burns.