What to do if a student traps their fingers in your classroom door

14 Aug What to do if a student traps their fingers in your classroom door

Administering first aid in schools, early years and colleges is a key responsibility, with the ability to treat the most common classroom injuries on-site minimising the burden on our health services. Alongside cuts, bruises, scrapes, slips, trips and head injuries, there is one very common (and very preventable) injury blighting schools around the world as Classroom explains:

“Adults and children glide through them without incident daily, but doors can often be troublesome for small hands to manipulate. They may lose their grip on the door, causing it to close on their hand or the appendage of another child hoping to slide through the opening. Doors with poorly maintained hinges can slam suddenly on a child.”

Trapped fingers are not only painful, they have the potential to cause long term and serious damage. Act fast to treat trapped fingers using the following steps…

Keep talking

Most of us have been there, and will know just how painful trapping fingers in doors is. Talk to the injured child to keep them as calm and informed as possible. These incidents are very distressing for the child affected and their peers. As a result, you may want to take the injured child to a separate room to assess the damage and administer appropriate treatment.

Keep it cool

An ice pack or cool compress should be applied. Be sure to wrap this in a towel or cloth to prevent further inflammation and damage. The covered ice pack or compress should be applied gently for no longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Allow time in between each application; we’d recommend 20-minute breaks. The ice pack may need to be applied at several intervals after the incident to reduce swelling.

Never rest the ice pack or compress on top of the injured finger. The added weight is likely to cause further damage.

Keep it elevated

Elevating the finger can also ease the swelling, pressure and inflammation that can make trapped appendages particularly painful. Raise the injured area above heart level to slow the amount of blood pulsing to the finger.

Keep it clean

If the skin has been broken, any wounds should be cleaned and covered in accordance to the latest first aid guidance. These cuts should be continually cleaned at home until fully healed.

It is important to note that the finger itself should not be wrapped or braced without medical advice. The student should be encouraged to move their finger as much as they can if it is not broken or dislocated. Spotting a dislocation or fracture is relatively simple. You may notice the bone of the finger protruding. Alternatively, the finger may appear deformed and severely bruised.

Know when to seek professional help

The most extreme cases could see the finger become fractured or dislocated. If you suspect this is the case, now is the time to seek professional help. Arrangements should be made to take the injured student to your local minor injury unit or A&E for treatment.

If following first aid treatment at school, symptoms worsen, the finger becomes numb, the fingernail becomes excessively bruised or swelling persists for over 48 hours, you, or their parent or guardian, should seek medical help.

Don’t wait for trapped fingers to happen!

Door injuries are completely preventable. In fact, here at Fingersafe, we’ve made it our mission to give schools and other settings the solutions they need to prevent trapped fingers and other door-related injuries for good.

Our finger safety guards have been designed and developed to prevent finger-trapping accidents and keep every child safe at school. With a huge selection of door designs catered for, and installation quick and easy, you can stop finger trapping accidents and ensure happy hands all round!

Shop our finger safety guards today right here to get started.