“Sometimes Luck Plays A Hand”
Hand injuries are one of the most common workplace injuries in the industry. If you take a moment to consider some of the more common hand injuries and the tasks in the workplace that can lead to them, you might come up with some of these:
- Cuts, bruises, or pinches from loss of control of an unsecured tool
- Line of fire injuries when energy releases unexpectedly
- Injuries from reaching into equipment and losing sight of the fingers (eyes not on task)
- Cuts from handling or contacting sharp objects
- Injuries from the misuse of hand and power tools (guards not secured)
- Thermal burns from direct contact with hot objects such as steam lines
- Injuries to the hands and wrist from breaking one’s fall after a slip/trip
- Crushing injuries from placing hands or fingers in pinch points
- Bruises/cuts when a defective or an improperly selected tool slips
- Irritation and burns from contact with chemical substances
- Burns or shock from contact with electrical circuits
- Injuries from failure to properly lockout an energy source
Does this list sound familiar? Many of these injuries have occurred over the years, some in the very recent past. Sometimes luck plays a hand and the injury is minor and treated with a first aid. But luck has no business in our business – first aids under different circumstances are recordable injuries. Protect your hands. Wear hand protection – the proper hand protection – every time. Keep your eyes on your hands as you perform a task. Anticipate where energy could be released and keep your hands out of the line of fire. In short, never put your hands at risk.