Finger guards, do you need to install them?

It is established practice to install finger guards on doors where vulnerable adults or young children use your premises. But how do they prevent accidents, and when should they be fitted?

When a door closes into its frame, there are a number of points where fingers may become trapped, these include the latch, the hinge and the hinge cavity. Because it is established practice, finger guards should always be fitted in crèches, nurseries, indoor play areas for young children, and areas used by the first two year groups in primary and infant schools. Most local authorities insist upon it, and they can be attained for about £10, and they are relatively easy to fit.

Latch
It is easy to reduce the level of risk around the latch area, self-closing devices can be installed which reduce the rate of closure. Alternatively if the door does not need to be closed fully, foam bumpers could be installed.

Hinge
When the door opens a wide gap is created in the hinge cavity, as well as on the other side of the door, where the pin for the hinges is located, this smaller gap may also pose a risk to very small children if the gap is wide enough for fingers to be poked through. It is now established practice to fit a finger guard to certain doors in nurseries, primary school and care environments.

Do they prevent accidents?
Finger guards are typically made from a semi-rigid plastic which is pressed into folds when the door is close, and opens up to cover the gap when the door is opened. It is most common to fit these over the hinge cavity, but they may also be located on the pin side too when very young children are present.

The cost of not addressing the issue
A nursery was prosecuted in December 2011 and ordered to pay fines and costs. The cost for the nursery was £75,000, this was in connection with an accident in which a young child lost the tip of his finger; the cost to the child is lifelong and may pose difficulties in later life. How did it all happen? The nursery had failed to fit door guards to all of its doors.