Avoid Hand Injuries At Work With These Tips

Manufacturing employees work mainly with their hands, which leads to an unfortunately high occurrence of hand injuries.  If you work in manufacturing, use these tips to stay safe and protect your hands on the job.

Common Causes of Hand Injuries

Each year, over a million manufacturing workers suffer a hand injury that requires emergency medical attention. The most common ways manufacturing employees injure their hands are, improper use of hand tools, not wearing gloves, inattention while handling sharp objects and not following safety rules and guidelines.

Typical Hazards That Lead To Hand Injuries

Accidents can happen at any time. Sometimes, they are completely unpreventable, but there are some common hazards that lead to the vast majority of hand injuries in manufacturing:

  • Pinch points: Places between two objects with two moving parts where hands can get caught.
  • Rotating parts: Many machine components operate in a rotating motion like clutches, spindles and fans. Loose-fitting gloves can easily get caught, leading to a potentially catastrophic injury.
  • Automated machinery: Any machine programmed to take action on its own, such as starting up can be dangerous. If a machine starts unexpectedly and a worker’s hand is in the wrong place, it will lead to an injury.
  • Extreme temperatures: Flames, heating elements, burners, and refrigeration pipes can cause severe burns.
  • Entanglements: Jewelry, loose clothing, ill-fitting PPE and more can quickly get caught in moving parts, pulling a hand into the equipment.

Steps For Protecting Yourself At Work

Employers are responsible for setting up proper safety protocols, enforcing those protocols and providing effective training to new and seasoned employees to help them stay safe on the job. However, every person has an individual responsibility to take steps to protect themselves, as well.

According to a recent study conducted by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute, safety gloves can help lower the rate of work-related hand injuries by around 60% when they are used consistently and fit properly. Safety equipment, including, hand gloves, safety locks, and guards and shields, are there to protect you as a worker and should be considered an asset, not a hindrance.

Other important measures to take to protect yourself include:

  • Staying alert and attentive while working. Taking regular breaks can help you stay focused.
  • Anticipating any hazards ahead of time.
  • Attend training sessions and following all of your employer’s safety protocols.
  • Speaking up if a supervisor or manager asks you to work in a manner that puts you at risk.
  • Alerting management if safety checks on machinery are not performed, or are performed improperly.

Work For An Employer In Ontario That Values Safety

Injury prevention is the responsibility of everyone on a manufacturing team. If you are looking for a great manufacturing job at a company that values safety, talk to the recruiters at Employment Professionals Canada. Browse our current openings, contact us online or give us a call at 1-800-842-0421 learn more.