Maintaining Healthy Hands

Name three things you do at work in which you DO NOT use your hands.  That’s a difficult assignment, isn’t it?  Now, list three things in life that you most enjoy doing.  Do they involve using your hands?  What would life be like if you couldn’t use one or both hands for even a short time?

Maintaining healthy hands is critical to every worker’s quality of life, yet over 16 million American workers suffer hand injuries every year.  That’s one every 32 seconds!  By recognizing hazards that lead to hand injuries and taking safety precautions, hand injuries are 100% preventable!

Recognizing Hazards

There are many different hazards that could lead to hand injuries.  Some of the most prevalent are:

  • Sharp Objects
  • Hand and Power Tools
  • Hot Objects
  • Pinch Points
  • Chemicals
  • Machinery
  • Poor Ergonomics


Whether you work in the field, in a manufacturing environment or at a desk, you encounter risk of hand injuries.   You must be aware of the hazards and you must respect the hazards in order to AVOID unnecessary hand injuries.

Just as there are many hazards, there are also many types of hand injuries:

  • Strains
  • Sprains
  • Skin Irritation
  • Burns
  • Punctures
  • Lacerations
  • Fractures
  • Crushes
  • Amputation
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders

Safety Precautions

A quality safety program will contain best practices that incorporate safety into every task that employees perform.  If your company does not have a solid safety program,  or if there are weaknesses in procedures, contact CBR’s Risk Department.  We will work diligently with your company to ensure a solid safety program.

Here are some best practices that will help eliminate the hazards that lead to hand injuries:

  • Inspect all tools, equipment and workspace before starting your day!  Does all equipment have safety guards in place?  Are all tools in proper working order?  Is your workstation ergonomically sound?
  • Use tools only for their designed purpose.  A wrench does not make a good hammer, but it does increase your risk of injury if used as one!
  • Always be aware of the position of your hands.  Are your wrists in the correct position on your keyboard?  Are fingers too close to a saw blade, grinder or other moving equipment?  Are your hands in danger of being crushed by materials you are handling?
  • Respect the equipment you work around, and isolate and lockout equipment before placing your hands in potential points of contact.
  • Wear gloves that are appropriate to the task, and inspect them before use.   When you handle chemicals, do you check the MSDS to make sure the gloves you use are adequate?
  • Avoid excessive repetition, awkward posture and excessive force exerted in your hands, wrists and arms.  Is the tool you’re using proper for the task?  Is your work environment organized?  Is your posture compromised?  Is your wrist a natural extension of your forearm?
  • Report all hand injuries immediately, even if it appears medical assistance is unnecessary.

Be Aware

Accidents don’t “just happen!”  Human error accounts for almost 100% of hand injuries.  They occur when:

  • We stop thinking about safety.
  • We don’t accurately assess the risk.
  • We take short cuts and circumvent procedures.
  • We don’t respect the potential hazards.
  • We lack awareness of the position of our hands.

 

Safety is a personal responsibility and hand injuries can be prevented.  Don’t allow your workers to cheat themselves of the things they enjoy most in life by being careless in maintaining healthy hands.  It is vital to every worker’s quality of life!