In today’s competitive market, homeowners seek features that enhance their lives, especially when it comes to family safety. Victoria Brocklesby, COO at Origin, a leading manufacturer of bespoke aluminium windows and doors, explains why prioritising child safety gives you a powerful edge.
More than 100,000 children are admitted to A&E with wrist or hand-related trauma per year, with trapped fingers among the most common causes. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests that approximately 30,000 children trap their fingers in doors each year, many bad enough that it requires surgery.
This can happen for a couple of reasons:
§ Small fingers – children are naturally curious and explore their environment with their hands without understanding potential risks
§ Limited coordination – children’s spatial awareness and motor skills are still developing, which can lead to accidents
While bumps and grazes are a fundamental part of growing up, trapped fingers and hands can cause severe injury, and these accidents are often completely preventable. So, it’s only natural that families want to find ways to protect their children.
The opportunity for door and window suppliers
For you, this offers an opportunity to stand out in an ever-growing market. Offering products that prioritise child safety means customers are instantly more emotionally invested. You are giving them all important peace of mind that their family will be protected, both now and in the future.
Once families know that one product is safer than others, it’s incredibly difficult to ignore. Child safety is an area that no homeowner wants to compromise on, whether they have children or grandchildren now, or plan to sell their home to another family in the future.
Understanding and selling child-safe products
To effectively promote child safety features, focus on these three main causes of door-related injuries and how the products you supply address them:
1. Falling – children are naturally curious and want to explore their surroundings. However, this means it’s near impossible to prevent them from climbing on furniture, stairs, and low windowsills. Offering windows that can be fitted with safety latches and restrictor hooks to limit the opening vastly reduces the chances of children climbing and falling out.
2. Trapping – closing doors and cupboards are a common cause of trapped fingers and hands. Finger-safe gaskets offer a solution to minimise injury, like Origin’s aluminium bi-fold doors, which are safer for children to operate.
3. Tripping – thresholds can turn into a trip hazard. Homeowners installing new bi-fold or sliding doors should choose a system that can be specified with a low threshold, like the Origin Bi-Fold Door (OB-36+). This is not only beneficial for crawling and playing children but also for those of all ages, particularly anyone with mobility issues.
Family safety is paramount. By prioritising child-proof features in your product offerings, you tap into a crucial customer need. Origin’s aluminium doors and windows are engineered with safety at their core. Our industry-leading features, including finger-safe gaskets, magnetic catches, and restrictor hooks, provide unparalleled protection. So, you can recommend them with confidence, knowing they’ve been designed for family life. To open a trade account with Origin, please visit trade.origin-global.com/partner-with-origin or call 0808 192 0042 to speak to an advisor.
Sponsored news via Origin Global
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