WC Cubicle Finger Guards

Phill S
Member - 35 posts

Hi Bob, sorry to 'interrupt' your question, without an answer but...
Could you tell me more about this, I work in a school and was unaware that finger guards are necessary?
Thankyou

I would also be interested in the answer too, should anyone have it.

James Fairchild
Member - 257 posts

Any chance of more information..... I'm totally confused as to what a finger guard could guard against, and I'm sure the notion in my mind is entirely incorrect!

Rosalyn Cracknell
Member - 1 post

I do not have any conection with schools or finger guards but have just done a google serch to satisfy my own curiosity and found this

http://www.fingershield.co.uk/Fingershield-video

May be for the very young, but otherwise if all dangers are taken away from the young how do they learn?

David Price
Member - 80 posts

Finger Guards for James's Benefit are Plastic strips that run the length of the hinged side of the door to stp small children from shutting their or other childrens fingers between the door jamb and the door, causing a very nasty crush injury or broken fingers.

I am really surprised that school members are asking where to get these from, when a quick call to their local authority Health & Safety Officer for Schools would tell them, and would also tell them if they are required.

In my experence it comes down to a best practice issue, there is no requirement as far as i'm aware, but they maybe different for schools.

A while ago I applied for a post of Facilities Manager at a local school, and what I found was shocking in relation to how little seems to have moved on in the school environment, and how the old school caretaker has got by on a wing and a prayer, and is still living I will never know.

Schools need Facilities Managers just like any other buildings, but the ones that have them are few and far between, and until they do the Health & Safety of our children which we take for granted at school, will always be based on taking action after the event rather than before.

Phill S
Member - 35 posts

I should've phrased my question better, "was unaware that finger guards are necessary" should have read was unaware that finger guards are required.

To my knowledge this type of accident has never happened in the time that I have worked at the school, that doesn't mean that it hasn't happened, just that I'm not aware of it, (not being the site manager there's a chance I wouldn't be aware)

I can see it would probably be more of an issue with younger children, but I would also say that Rosalyn's comment isn't necessarily true, I have known adults do 'silly' things like shutting their fingers in doors, or hitting ones thumb with a hammer, often that kind of accident isn't about education, but more about alertness to the situation and lack of concentration.

Thanks Rosalyn, thats a very interesting site.

Chris Williams
Member - 2 posts

I have worked as a Local Authority H&S Officer for a number of years. During this time we have had quite a few nasty incidents involving finger trapping incidents in school doors. The main area of risk is areas that involve high traffic and small children and areas that are not well supervised i.e. classroom doors, toilet and cubicle doors etc. My advice would be to undertake a risk assessment and fit finger guards/shields to those doors that you deem to be high risk (this is usually prevelant in nursery/primary schools). Just a word of warning though, the finger guard/shield industry is very competitive and the Companies spend a lot of time putting each other down so choose carefully. Also beware the survey, as invariably the Company will say that guards/shields are required on all doors.

David Price
Member - 80 posts

I am glad that a Local Authority H&S Officer has taken the time to contribute to this, what I am concerned about is although he is aware of the problem, why are local authority H&S officers then not contacting schools to advise them of the risk in the first place, rather than the school concered have to find out after an possible accident has happened.

Your advice to undertake a Risk Assessment is good, but a lot of schools don't have anyone to do this, and if it falls on the Head Teacher to do it then they don't know what is required. Is it therefore not the responcibilty of the Local Authority H&S Officer to ensure that they have all the nessessary Risk Assessments in place.

As for choosing a suitable contractor, how many Teachers would know how to do this? I know a Head Teacher who is now responcibe for H&S, but what he knows about it wouln't fill the back of a postage stamp. He trained as a Teacher NOT a Facilities Manager yet these days many7 teachers are expected to do both.

Chris Williams
Member - 2 posts

We issued guidance which included details of companies that provide a service. A very simple risk assessment format that would ensure that high risk doors could be identified and even managed to obtain 50% towards the cost from our risk management section. Full details are available online for all of our schools to access. And finally when we audit schools we check that finger guards have been fitted in high risk areas. Result, no more finger crushing injuries!

David Sharp - Workplace Law Network
Online advisor - 122 posts

Very interested to read this thread, especially because - as well as being the Managing Director of Workplace Law Group - I am also the community governor of a local secondary school, with special responsiblity for health and safety. Having spent my working life in the private sector, I am less aware of the specifics of LEA procedures.

I'm going to subvert the thread slightly, and ask if I may about the need to replace windows for our 1970s school buildings. The existing ones are shabby, energy inefficient, and potentially hazardous in one or two places. Does anyone know whether there are any LEA/central govt. schemes to subsidise capital works here for either refurbishment or replacement?