About Us

Protect Children from Coat Hooks

In February 1998, Myles Neuts, a student was found hanging on a coat hook in a school washroom. He died six days later from his injuries. Although the details that led to the incident are unclear, the fact remains that a child was harmed by the coat hook. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Since the 1800s, coat hooks have been injuring children. In some cases, the children were playing or pulling a prank on their classmates. In other cases, it was bullying. Regardless of the cause, traditional coat hooks are a danger to children.

Developing Safe Coat Hooks

Schools responded to Neuts’ death by removing coat hooks in the washroom, but this simply led to other problems. Students had nowhere to put their backpack or coats in the washroom. Not only was it impractical to put backpacks on the floor, but it was also unhygienic. There were still coat hooks in other parts of the building, only, not in the washroom. Although other manufacturers took on the task of developing safe coat hooks for schools, the price was prohibitive to make these devices universally available. Schools could not afford to install them, leaving children vulnerable.

A Mission to Create Coat Hooks for Schools

Becky Reiger, moved by Neut’s death, asked her father, Jim Henkel, to develop a coat hook that would release at a certain weight. This hook had to be sturdy enough to take the daily stress of handling backpacks filled with books, but it also needed to be able to be reset when the hook released itself. Henkel developed the HenkelHook™ to the specifications and engineered the hook to be affordable for schools to use throughout their facility. The HenkelHook™ mounts on wood, metal, and drywall. It comes in a wide range of colors as a safe and effective way to keep student’s belongings off the floor while ensuring that children aren’t harmed. 

OUR HISTORY

We have an experienced team that has tirelessly worked to raise awareness of the dangers of rigid coat hooks. We are committed to preventing injuries in children. The HenkelHook™ was launched in 2005.

Our Mission

To create a revolutionary device to prevent coat hook injuries to children and to make school officials aware of the dangers of rigid coat hooks.

Our Values

We believe in producing high-quality tools that do the job and that are affordable.

Our Philosophy

We want to partner with community facilities to provide safe options in schools, gyms, arenas and camps.

“HenkelHook™ is the answer to safety”

Reiger has partnered with Neut’s father, Mike to raise awareness of the dangers of rigid coat hooks. Mike Neuts speaks to school districts to raise awareness about the dangers of coat hooks. Through his efforts, many school districts in Canada have implemented the hook in their schools. Schools are not the only places that use rigid coat hooks. Malls, gyms, medical clinics, and government installations use these hooks. Reiger is committed to offering a safe solution to prevent injuries from rigid coat hooks. HenkelHook™ is the answer to safety where coat hooks are being used.

Contact us for a free quote.

    Interested in purchasing the HenkelHookTM in bulk? Please fill out this form and we’ll send you off a quote.


    Quotes are valid for 30 days.
    *indicates required field