Finger Injuries can be prevented
A 20-month-old child lost the tip of his finger after getting it caught in the hinge-side of a large metal door. Multiple employees were working at the child care center and all children were well supervised at the time of the incident. As one employee began taking another child outside, the 20-month-old followed and was trapped by the door. Even though the door was equipped with a slowing mechanism, the child was unable to avoid injury. Several surgeries were required because the child’s bone continued to grow through the finger. Eventually, the entire nail was removed and the tip was amputated.
The National Safety Council reports that more than 300,000 door-related injuries requiring emergency room treatment take place each year. Children, especially those under the age of four, suffer most door-related injuries that ultimately require amputation. Like other hazards young children face everyday, door-related injuries are easily preventable. A number of inexpensive and highly-effective products, like the DoorPRO doorstop, can prevent devastating injuries and claims.
Automatic door closers that slow down or prevent slammed doors can help prevent injuries around the doorknob side of the door. Most serious finger injuries take place at the hinge side of the door. As the door closes, the pressure exerted at the hinge area of a door can reach as much as 40 tons – or 80,000 lbs – per square inch! The DoorPRO Doorstop fits on the hinge and holds the door open at a 90 degree angle.
Although the DoorPRO Doorstop can’t prevent injuries with car doors or rolling garage doors, we can help keep fingers from getting pinched in small, medium and large heavy doors when used properly.
References:
- www.cultureofsafety.thesilverlining.com
- www.redwoodsgroup.com
Did You Know?
- A closing door can exert up to 40 tons per square inch of pressure along the gap between its hinges.
- The National Safety Council estimates that 300,000 injuries are caused by doors every year. Consumer Product Safety Commission statistics for the last available year cite 44,676 injuries to fingers, hands, and wrists of children under the age of 14.
- Door injuries result in an estimated 15,000 amputations every year. Individual incident costs can be astronomical. Two cases where the finger actually was reattached had respective price tags of $725,000 and $600,000.
