As a part of our monitoring several individual claims and trends, our team has identified a growing trend related to kids' fingers or hands getting caught in a closing door. All the incidents we reviewed have similar factors – a finger or hand being caught between the door and the frame towards the hinge side. Most door-related finger injuries result in crushed, bruised, or smashed fingers. However, these injuries can also cause even more severe injuries, including fractures and even amputation of one or multiple fingers.
While entering or exiting a play area, restaurant, restroom, or any other area with a door, a child might innocently wrap their fingers around the opening of the door and its frame (towards the hinge side). Though it may not sound like a big deal, the total force created by a closing door and its frame can easily reach 40 tons per square inch, and you or your children might not be strong enough to stop a door from slamming shut or open it to free your fingers or hand.
There have been several cases where people have automatic door closers installed that help prevents any door from slamming shut, preventing any serious injuries towards the latch side of the door. However, it may also contribute to incidents towards the hinge side, especially from the additional pressure as your door tries to complete its closing cycle. This is why you must re-consider installing door hinge protectors.
Studies show more than 300,000 door-related injuries every year that require rushing to the hospital. Studies also reveal that more than 100,000 hand, finger, or wrist injuries require emergency room treatment, with many of these cases involving kids. It would help if you remembered that these emergency visits often result in amputation, a traumatic experience for all kids and adults alike. However, as a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure your children are safe at all times. This is why we suggest you install door finger protection on all high-traffic areas of your property.
· Start by conducting an assessment of your private or public property. Any door with a lot of footfall may pose a threat to children and potentially cause an injury.
· Ensure that all doors in your property are correctly installed, and the hinge is in good condition.
· If installed, you need to ensure that your automatic door closers are in ideal working condition.
· Make sure that your door hinge protectors are secure in place and do not leave any gap for children to access the door's hinge.
· Try to attach door hinge guards using screws instead of glue to have a more robust and durable connection.
A door should not be a danger to your family and friends. Doing a thorough risk assessment and installing the proper safety devices can help you prevent such injuries from occurring at all! The overall cost of purchasing and installing these devices is negligible compared to the suffering you are preventing from finger entrapment injuries.