Requirements for tests of child finger entrapment in European safety standards
Requirements for tests of child finger entrapment in European safety standards’ carried out by the IOE at the University of Nottingham for ANEC Child Safety WG R&T. The study explored the age children begin to explore with their fingers by observing children’s interactions with openings.
A review of anthropometric data and literature on secular trends was carried and dimensional requirements for static entrapment were defined using the major published sources of children’s anthropometric data, measured during the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. those in Childata, 1990). In order to assess the depth requirements for openings, data have been extrapolated in this study to estimate the finger tip length of both the middle and little fingers and for children aged from birth. The study makes recommendations for requirements for static entrapment hazards based on these data and calculations. Scanning technology was explored for use in measuring the response to entrapment.
The findings will soon be presented to the members of the Child Safety Working Group in Brussels.
For more information, please email Dr Sarah Atkinson.