Injuries caused by traditional doors

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) estimates that 30,000 children trap and seriously injure their fingers in doors every year and more than 1,500 of these will require surgery.

The main danger with conventional doors comes from the gap which is created at the hinge side when the door is opening and closing. This gap is an easy place for unknowing fingers to wander and it presents a particular danger to children, people with sensory impairments or additional support needs and elderly people.

The sharp corners of the door and the frame act as cutting edges. This combined with the door, which acts as a lever, can create enough pressure at the hinge to cut steel.

Further research carried out at the Royal Sick Children's Hospital in Glasgow highlighted the severity of the injuries which occur. In six months, 136 children were admitted to Accident and Emergency after trapping their fingers in a door with 45% suffering bone/joint injuries and 11% amputation.

The cost of litigation for these injuries can be substantial. The responsibility for reducing these injuries falls to those who have children in their buildings.

Safehinge offers an elegant solution to this problem by eliminating the dangerous gap created by conventional hinges.