Royde & Tucker Ltd
Finger entrapment in doors can result in serious injuries for young children.
The most recent annual statistics indicate that over 30,000 children under the age of 15 visited UK hospital accident and emergency departments with finger/thumb injuries caused by doors and door frames, with more than 1,500 needing some form of surgery.
Children suffer a number of finger entrapment injuries because of their lack of understanding of the dangers presented by doors. They put their fingers into the gap between a door and its frame without any awareness of the possible consequences.
The types of injuries resulting from door incidents range from crushing, bruising and fractures; in the most serious cases, amputation. Whatever the outcome, every finger trapping incident is likely to cause pain and distress to a child.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) recommend that childcare providers fit devices to all hinged or pivoted doors to reduce the risk of children trapping their fingers in your setting. Many councils have a Local Code of Practice giving advice to help minimise the risk of finger entrapment in doors. Download an example guide below.