Over 500,000 children get their fingers trapped and injured in a door each year in UK schools.

Here are the headline figures – plus some background information on what parents think about finger trapping accidents that occur within schools.

There are over 8500 primary schools in the country that don’t have finger guards attached to their doors – with many of them reporting that they have taken this view because they have never had an accident.

For most new schools there is no choice – finger guards are part of the building regulations – but for other schools without finger guards, it's a matter of choosing to attach them only to the doors most likely to have a problem.

In 2007 The Building Research Establishment concluded that while there were many other accidents occurring in schools, finger trapping was something that could be eliminated very cheaply.

It is probably this research which has stimulated subsequent claims over the past few years, from parents against schools and authorities – since, while no school can ever prevent children being knocked over in the playground, door related injuries are easily preventable.

Where claims are made these tend to be settled between the school and the parent to avoid the case going to court.  Recently Stockton Borough Council settled one claim out-of-court for £2,500 when a child trapped a finger in a door in school.

Although the cases are few, they all come from the very recent past, which suggests there may be more claims on the way – and the evidence is clear.  The defence that the school has never suffered such an injury before is not accepted by the courts.

Is your school adequately prepared for potentially serious injuries casued by finger-trapping?

For further information on door safety devices, see our range of Fingershield products or contact the team.