How Safe Is Paintball

In 2003 The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission compiled data related to sports injuries using the NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System). For the purpose of this study an injury was defined as requiring hospital treatment. This study resulted in some very interesting figures.

Number of Injuries Per Thousand Yearly Participants

Boxing	5.2	Martial Arts	1.5
Football - Tackle	3.8	Wresting	1.4
Snowboarding	3.8	Baseball	1.4
Ice Hockey	3.7	Volleyball	1.3
Snow Skiing	3.0	Mountain Biking	1.2
Soccer	2.4	Tennis	1.1
Softball	2.2	Ice Skating	1.1
Basketball	1.9	Horseback Riding	1.0
Football - Flag	1.9	Skateboarding	0.8
Surfing	1.8	Hunting	0.8
Cheerleading	1.7	Bicycling - BMX	0.8
Water Skiing	1.6	Running	0.6
Racquetball	1.5	Paintball	0.2

As you can see from the data above, paintball is the safest sport with fewer injuries than any sport played in middle and high schools.