Nursery Fined £6,000 After Finger-Trapping Accident

The Leicester Mercury* recently reported that a nursery in Leicester has been charged £6,000 after a two-year-old boy trapped his fingers in a door.

The nursery was prosecuted by Leicester City Council after Abdul Malik suffered an injury that led him to need surgery.

The company were charged after admitting failing to protect the young boy from risk and another charge of failing to report the incident to the authorities within the required ten days.

Jane Sarginson, who was prosecuting for the city council, told the magistrates that the accident happened at the nursery in March 2015.

She said that the young boy was leaving the nursery with his mother and a member of staff.

Sarginson then said that the mother walked through the door into a porch and stopped to put a coat on another child.

The young boy put his hands on the door to stop it shutting, but his left ring finger became trapped between the door and the frame.

The child was taken to the hospital to be treated for a cut and underwent an operation.

Mrs Sarginson said that a risk assessment had been done on the door, identifying trapped fingers as a hazard but that was inadequate.

She said finger guards should have been in place to prevent such injuries to the children.

It was said that the manager had raised the hazard with the business owner, but guards were not fitted until after the boy was hurt.

She accepted that the door was used daily by thirty children and that since the nursery opened in 2012, there had been no injuries similar to the child’s.

However, a prosecution expert visited the nursery two weeks ago and found cracks in the current door finger guards.

It was said “They did have systems in place, they did have risk assessments, but they were insufficient for the purposes”.

The company was fined £6,200, ordered to pay £5,000 in costs and victim surcharge of £170.

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The incident highlights the importance of nurseries and schools having regular door safety checks to ensure that all doors are protected and that all guards are in good working order by professionals.

While having door finger guards in place is important, it is also crucial to regularly have them checked as they are susceptible to everyday wear and tear.

At Cardea Solutions, we have been providing expert door safety care to schools, nurseries and care homes since 1999.

We are proud to offer free door safety risk assessments to schools and nurseries across the UK, alongside supplying our award-winning Fingershield Door finger guard to buildings worldwide.

If you would like to request a free door safety risk assessment, or you would like some advice on door safety, please get in touch with our team of experts on 0161 869 6550 or via email.

*Source, Leicester Mercury.