If you have young kids or vulnerable adults using your premises, they are more likely to be at risk of having their hands or fingers stuck between the door and its wooden frame. However, many people don't know they can have door finger guards installed to prevent this from happening. How do door finger guards help you avoid such accidents, and when should you install them?
When you close a door into its frame, there are several areas where your fingers and hands may get trapped. These areas include:
The latch area of a door is relatively easy to reduce the overall risk of injury. However, it can only be done in places where it's not critical to close a door fully. You can install a self-closing gate that helps you reduce the pace of closure. Another way you can minimize risk towards the latch area is by installing foam bumpers.
When you open a door, a wide gap opens towards one side of the door – known as the hinge side. If you don't know, there are thousands of children in the UK who face injuries due to a finger entrapment injury from the hinge side. Because of all known risks, it is now an established practice for homes, nurseries, and daycares to install door hinge protectors on specific high-traffic doors.
It's worth noting that using a self-closing door will also give you some protection towards the hinge side, but it will not be enough if there is a risk to young kids.
Ideally, finger guards for schools (also known as door hinge guards) are built using a semi-rigid plastic that folds when you close the door and opens up to cover the hinge side when the door is open. It's common for several residential and commercial property owners to fit these over the hinge cavity. However, if your property deal with very young children, you may even have to install additional reinforcement like a hinge pin, as tiny fingers may still get inside the gap.
There are no specific rules or regulations that state you must install door finger guards. However, there is a catch. Because of how the safety legislation is written, if it is an established practice to install them in certain situations, not installing them may result in prosecution. Commercial properties like nurseries, indoor play areas, and creches need to install door finger protection on all high traffic doorways. Keep in mind that the small price of installing door finger guards can help you avoid a hefty fine later.
In the case of any other commercial property, managers and owners need to assess the overall risk doors pose to their clients and customers. Finger entrapment injuries often occur in areas with a heavy doors or a place prone to children. If you feel there is a strong chance of such injuries on your property, you must consider installing door finger guards at the earliest. You can easily install door finger guards on your property using simple tools.