Fingersafe Australia introduces the Fingersafe, an innovative finger protection system that has been proven effective in preventing injuries caused by finger entrapment on door hinges.
Finger entrapment is one of the most serious of injuries that commonly occur among children where the finger may be pinched, crushed or amputated at the hinged end of doors. Retailers, restaurants and childcare/ school facilities are the most common types of businesses at risk with liability costs for business owners going as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Fingersafe finger guards can reduce exposure to this liability.
Fingersafe is a unique, patented and inconspicuous protection system designed to prevent fingers from being trapped during the opening and closing of doors. Designed specifically for commercial installations, this safety mechanism has the proven ability to ensure the fingers are always ejected when the door closes, preventing injury.
Fingersafe is sold extensively throughout the UK, Europe and the US. Now readily available in Australia, Fingersafe is recommended for installation in schools and childcare centres.
Joe Kaplan of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter - National Safety Council confirms that Fingersafe products have been described as ‘the best new safety product to hit America in 50 years’.
The release of the Fingersafe system in the Australian market coincides with the introduction of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (National Quality Framework) for most long day care, preschool/ kindergarten, family day care and outside school house care services in Australia, which was established in December 2009 by all Australian governments through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
The National Quality Framework, which took effect on 1 January 2012, consists of seven Quality Areas including children’s health and safety. Under this standard (Standard 2.3), ‘every reasonable precaution is to be taken to protect children from harm and any hazard likely to cause injury’.
Under the National Law, the approved provider and other persons have responsibility for supporting the health, protection, safety and wellbeing of all children. In exercising their responsibilities under the National Law, these persons must take reasonable care to protect children from foreseeable risk of harm, injury and infection.
The system has found much support from state governments with the South Australian Department of Business, Planning and Infrastructure specifying Fingersafe in newly designed special schools in addition to the NSW Minister for Education and Communities endorsing Fingersafe by agreeing to trial it in a school that has a specific need. The West Australian Department of Education is currently reviewing Fingersafe products.
