Preventable hand injuries continue to baffle employers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimated that more than 320,000 hand injuries occur each year. Two major factors contribute to these injuries—personal protective equipment was not being worn and when it was worn, did not fully protect the worker.
One study showed that 70% of the workers who experienced hand injuries were not wearing gloves. The other 30% studied were wearing inadequate, damaged or the wrong type of glove. With these types of preventable accidents, it’s important to review these six actions to reduce hand injuries in the workplace.
• Always use machinery guards
• Wear the right gloves when handling rough materials
• When moving heavy objects through a small space, always make sure you have sufficient room to get through with enough clearance for our hands.
• Wear gloves when handling broken glass, metal shards or nails.
• Don’t wear jewelry (rings) around machinery
• Keep hands free of oil and grease
It’s important to take the necessary steps to keep your hands safe. Simple steps can help save a lot of pain and agony over time.