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Hand and Finger Injury Prevention. A safety meeting to increase awareness related to hand and finger injuries in the workplace. Are there really that many hand/finger incidents?.
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Hand and Finger Injury Prevention A safety meeting to increase awareness related to hand and finger injuries in the workplace.
Are there really that many hand/finger incidents? • Think about it! Most of the work we do is done with our hands. It stands to reason that they would be the most frequently injured body part. • Injuries to hands and fingers commonly are the most frequent for our customers and usually are about 25-30% more frequent than the next closest category.
What are the primary causes? • Hand Tools • Sharps in trash and reject materials (metal shavings, broken glass, etc.) • Pinch Point incidents • Handling abrasive materials
How can we prevent them? • Engineering Controls • Machine guarding • Safety devices on tools (spring loaded knives)
Is there anything else we can do? • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) • Gloves • Push Sticks for machine operations
Safety rules to prevent injuries to the hands and fingers • Use gloves where appropriate. Gloves should not be used when working around rotating machines or in areas where the glove fabric could become entangled and endanger your hand. • Never use defective or damaged tools and always use a tool for its intended purpose. (example—Do not use a screw driver as a chisel) • When cutting or trimming with a knife: • Always place the item to be trimmed on a firm surface. Do not place the items in your lap or support them with your arm for trimming. • Keep you knife sharp. Sharp knives require less operating hand pressure and therefore are less likely to result in slippage and stray cutting. • Always trim in a direction away from your body. You are far less likely to be injured by a stray cutting action if you follow this simple rule.
In Summary: • One of the leading categories for workplace injury is hand/finger incidents. • These incidents are caused by a variety of factors, the most serious are usually associated with pinch points on machines • A combination of good engineering controls and use of PPE can be effective in reducing this type of injury. • Have a safe day.