Tamworth-based Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has urged caution regarding reducing gaps at hinges, following an accident at a school in Surrey involving a five-year-old boy. During a resulting UK Health and Safety Executive investigation into the incident, it was revealed that the boy’s hand slipped and went into the reducing hinge gap of a doorset in the school; there was no guard installed and the incident led to the tip of his middle finger becoming detached. In a newer building at the school, hinge guards had been fitted on the doorsets. The trust was prosecuted under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, duty of care to persons other than employees, and in October this year, was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay an additional £6,875.70 in costs.
“The subsequent investigation discovered the trust had failed to identify the hazard which meant hinge guards were not installed on the doors in the older building,” explains DHF’s Senior Training & Compliance Officer, Nick Perkins. “This particular case serves as a timely reminder that all significant hazards must be identified and risk assessed, and where necessary, protected or eliminated, even on manual doors and gates. Clearly, the risk based on degree of harm, likelihood of occurrence and frequency of exposure means that reducing hinge gaps are high risk in premises with considerable numbers of vulnerable people present.
Whilst for powered doors, gates & barriers there is a very clear requirement in supply of machinery safety law to eliminate or protect all reachable reducing gaps, there is also a need to risk assess all doors, gate and barrier installations (including manual systems) under health and safety law, especially those fitted with spring loaded self-closing devices.”
Ultimate responsibility for safety within and about a premises lies with the owner or manager, but it is important to note that maintenance providers also have a legal obligation to identify and inform their clients about the safety of doors, gates and barriers they are repairing or maintaining; where possible, they are required to leave the system (hand it back to the client) in a safe condition.
Information regarding the supply of machinery safety law comprises UK: Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations 2008, and Republic of Ireland: European Communities (Machinery) Regulations 2008; National health and safety law comprises UK: Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, Northern Ireland: Health & Safety at Work Order 1978, and Republic of Ireland: Safety, health and welfare at Work Act 2005; Workplace Safety Law comprises UK: Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 , Northern Ireland: Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations (NI) 1993, and Republic of Ireland: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007.
“DHF also delivers training for Automated Gate Group, Industrial Door Group and Garage Door Group members on the topic of reducing gaps; in addition, further information can be found in DHF publication, TS 013: https://bit.ly/DHFTechnicalSpecifications,” concludes Nick.
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