Page 98 - OHS, July/August 2022

90TH ANNIVERSARY
The Progression of Hand Protection: Guarding Your Most Valuable Tools
Hand protection has come a long way since the first workers
There are many tools that have become invaluable to employees in a variety of industries across the decades, but one could argue that the most important tool to a worker is their hands. It is with these appendages that we are able to push, pick and pull items as well as hold other tools that can help get the job done. It is not surprising that laborers and employees through history took time to create ways to protect and guard hands in an effort to lengthen the amount of time a worker would be viable in the industry.
In this issue’s special coverage for our 90th anniversary, OH&S will discuss common injury types, how much hand injuries cost workplaces and the history of hand protection, including the evolution of protective equipment and the advanced technology through the years.
By the Numbers
It doesn’t matter what your job is, you are most likely at risk of suffering a hand injury. You may be an electrician at risk of flame or shock hazards. Perhaps you are a construction worker at risk of crushing injuries or lacerations. You could even be an office employee who is at risk of carpel tunnel. Despite how common hand injuries can be, workplaces often find they are overlooking hand protection in their safety programs.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one million workers arrive at an emergency department with injuries to the hands each year. What’s more is that seventy percent of workers who experienced a hand injury were not wearing gloves and the other 30 percent had gloves on, but they were damaged or inadequate for the work task.
These injuries and oversights are costing both the employee
BY SYDNY SHEPARD
and the employer. Severe injuries like severed fingers and nerve damage could make it nearly impossible for a person to get back to work or even engage in recreational activities that they once loved. For employers, the average hand injury claim exceeds over $25,000 in lost wages and medical costs, according to the National Safety Council.
Common Injuries to the Hand
To protect against hand injuries, you first need to be aware of what kinds of injuries are most common. Below are just a few types of hand injuries an employee could sustain at work.
Crushing injuries. One of the most common injuries to the hand is a, “crushing injury.” This type of injury can occur when the hand is crushed under something heavy, or caught between two large items that are collapsing together at a high speed. This injury usually results in sudden, intense pain followed by severe swelling. If the crush has caused any breaks in the hand, you may hear a cracking sound at the moment of impact. Workers who are at a high risk of crushing injuries are those who work with machinery, or lift heavy objects, such as construction workers, factory workers and delivery workers.
Fractured fingers. Our fingers are the MVPs of our hands, but they are also the most fragile. Finger fractures can happen for many reasons, but when it comes to workplaces, some of the most common reasons are from misuse of power tools and accidents that result in your finger/s getting slammed in a door or cabinet. It is important to remember that because the bones of the finger are so small, no injury to them is inconsequential. Your whole hand relies on all of the tiny bones in your fingers to stay properly aligned and perform their vital functions. If one of them becomes fractured and left to heal improperly, the hand could face a loss of finger function, if not the loss of functionality in the whole hand.
Sprains and strains. One of the top reasons why employees come to their doctors complaining of a hand injury is due to a sprain or strain. Unlike the injury types we spoke about before, sprains and strains in the hand can happen to just about any professional at work after enough repetitive motion with no breaks or exercises in between. If these injuries are left unaddressed for too long, they can progress rapidly into something more severe, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Gloves, Gloves and More Gloves
Safety professionals know that to mitigate workplace hazards you must first use the hierarchy of controls. This often allows for ways of reducing risk through elimination, substitution, engineering controls and administrative controls. These controls often do not entirely remove the hazard from the workplace, so employers must introduce PPE to the environment to protect workers.
94 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2022 www.ohsonline.com
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