HAND SAFETY

GENERAL SAFETY DIVISION National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH
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THE NEED OF THIS COURSE

Serious hand and finger injuries make up approximately 40% of all workplace accidents. This training course is designed to prevent serious hand and finger injuries occurring in the workplace

HAND SAFETY
PART I - THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF HAND SAFETY
AIMS OF COURSE inform you about the importance and the uses of our hands inform you about the potential hand traps and pinch points that exist in the workplace inform you about the concept of defensive working
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HAND SAFETY
GROUP PROCESS EXERCISE

AIM
BECOMING AWARE OF THE FUNCTIONS, ACTIVITIES AND IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS OF OUR HANDS AS WELL AS EXPLORING THE FULL EXTENT TO WHICH OUR HANDS ARE USED.

HAND SAFETY
IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS, FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT OUR HANDS PERFORM ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS WHICH DONT REQUIRE THE USE OF OUR HANDS

HAND SAFETY
(PART I - Session One)

OUR HANDS

Their strength, dexterity and sensitivity combine to create one of natures ultimate tools, a tool which can be used for an enormous variety of functions and one which is reliable, accurate and economical.

HAND SAFETY
Our hands and fingers are used extensively in every aspect of our lives and because of the versatile nature of our hands, we are constantly placing them at risk

HAND SAFETY
If you were to have a serious hand injury how do you think it would affect :

Your life ? Your leisure time ? Your family ? Your work ?

HAND SAFETY
Hand Injury Statistics Hand Injury Accidents

HAND SAFETY
No. of injuries PD* Fatalities

Shoulder Upper Arm Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand Fingers

(2487) (611) (1228) (1835) (2259) (12555) (27392)

(393) (108) (92) (207) (194) (1128) (3336)

(17) (3) (3) (13) (10) (24) (136)

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Source: SOCSO Report,1995 PD* = Permanent Disablement

Number of Accidents by Location of Injury 1996 UNSPECIFIED

LOCA TION OF GENERA L INJURIES LOWER LIMB 24% 1% HEA D 13% NECK 0% INJURIES 3% TRUNK 7%

MULTIPLE LOCA TION 10% UPPER LIMB 42%

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Number of Death Cases by Location of Injury 1996

UNSPECIFIED LOCATION OF INJURIES 37% HEAD 19% NECK 0% TRUNK 9% UPPER LIMB MULTIPLE LOWER LIMB 4% LOCATION 22%
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GENERAL INJURIES 5%

4%

HAND SAFETY
How your hands and fingers can be injured

Caught in between objects Struck by an object Exposure to/ Contact with an object or substance

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HAND SAFETY
(Reported Cases to SOCSO in 1995) CAUGHT IN BETWEEN OBJECTS
Reported Cases Perm. Dis. Death

Caught in object

9695 3093

810 511

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Caught in between a stationary and a moving object Caught between moving objects

1490

350

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HAND SAFETY
(Cases Reported to SOCSO in 1995) STRUCK BY AN OBJECT
N0. Of Reported Cases 1. Striking against stationary objects 2. Striking against moving objects 3. Struck by flying objects TOTAL 13,831 Perm. Dis. 893 Death Reported 11

12,311

1364

170

12,661

875

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38,803

3,132

230

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HAND SAFETY
(Cases Reported to SOCSO in 1995)
EXPOSURE TO/ CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT/ SUBSTANCES
Reported Cases Perm. Dis. Deat Cases

Exposure to/ contact with extreme temperature Exposure to/ contact with electric current Exposure to/ contact with harmful substances or radiation

4,303 400 2,050

163 21 55

6 7 7
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PART I - Session Two

WORKING DEFENSIVELY WITH YOUR HANDS

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WHAT IS DEFENSIVE WORKING ?

(As it applies to hand safety)

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DEFENSIVE WORKING IS SIMPLY WORKING DEFENSIVELY WITH YOUR HANDS AND FINGERS TO ENSURE THEY ARE FREE FROM HARM AT ALL TIMES

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HAND SAFETY
There are two key elements to defensive working:

Protection Behavior

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HAND SAFETY
PROTECTION

We need to ensure that our hands are adequately protected from the materials and substances that we handle.

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HAND SAFETY
BEHAVIOR

We need to act in a manner that will ensure our hands and fingers stay free from harm

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HAND SAFETY
HAND PROTECTION

gloves barrier cream

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HAND SAFETY
THE FOUR MAIN GROUPS OF GLOVES

chemically resistant gloves protective gloves special purpose gloves general purpose gloves

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HAND SAFETY
CHEMICALLY RESISTANT GLOVES AND THE MATERIALS THEY ARE MADE FROM

ethelyne vinyl alcohol (EVOH) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) neoprene latex nitrile viton butyl

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HAND SAFETY
THE GOLDEN RULE OF GLOVE PTOTECTION

Always ensure that the gloves you are using give you adequate protection against the chemicals and other materials that you handle breakthrough time, permeation rates, style, dexterity, grip, length and size
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HAND SAFETY
BARRIER CREAMS

provide protection for the skin by assisting in the prevention of injury, infection and disease.

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HAND SAFETY
BARRIER CREAMS CAN:

prevent dermatitis allow the skin to be easily cleaned at the end of the day help strengthen the epidermis help repair the skin, and help stimulate skin growth.
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HAND SAFETY
Factor needed to be considered when
selecting a barrier

cream:

Solubility

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SAFE WORK PRACTICES

HAND TOOLS

When using any type of hand tool, you should:

Always inspect the hand tool before use Only use a hand tool for the purpose it was designed for Never apply unnecessary pressure when using a hand tool.

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SAFE WORK PRACTICES

HAND TOOLS

When using a screwdriver, you should:

Never hold the object in your hand Put the object in a vice or place it on a flat surface

When using a spanner/wrench, you should:

Always use the correct size spanner/wrench for the task at hand Where practical use a ring spanner/box end wrench, this will reduce the risk of slipping Always pull a spanner/wrench towards you, 31 never push on it.

SAFE WORK PRACTICES

HAND TOOLS

When using a knife, you should:

Always cut away from yourself Where practical, wear a cut resistant glove on the opposite hand to the one holding the knife Keep others a safe distance from cutting activities Keep knife blades well sharpened Never use a knife as screwdriver Always retract the blade of a knife when you have finished cutting if it is a retractable Never store knives with other tools. Store them 32 separately.

SAFE WORK PRACTICES

EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY When operating equipment and machinery, you should: Never wear jewelry or loose fitting clothing, especially near rotating or moving machine parts use push sticks when required always ensure that interlocks and safety devices are fully functional before operating any plant, equipment or machinery never remove a guard or other safeguarding from equipment or machinery Always take care if wearing gloves as they can become entangled with moving machine parts. 33

SAFE WORK PRACTICES

CHEMICAL HANDLING

When handling chemical, you should:

wear the appropriate gloves and/or barrier cream for the chemical you are handling fit gloves under shirt sleeves whenever practical only handle chemicals if you know about them and you are aware of how to protect yourselves protect any cuts and scratches from direct contact with chemicals always wash your hands thoroughly after 34 handling any chemicals

SAFE WORK PRACTICES

GENERAL HAND SAFETY

think through each task you perform. Are there any risks you need to be aware of ? Recognize the early warning signs of repetitive motion injuries always take care when moving heavy objects and watch your fingers report any faults, malfunctions or damage that you become aware of have all injuries treated no matter how 35 minor

YOUR HANDS AND FINGERS HAVE BEEN MADE SO THAT THEY LAST A LIFETIME

UNFORTUNATELY, SOME TYPES OF INJURIES CAN CAUSE A LIFETIME DISABILITY !

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In the workplace, at home or when enjoying leisure activities you need to remain aware of the possibility of injury, infection and disease to your hands and fingers

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Accidents and injuries arent confined to the workplace. Many serious hand and finger injuries occur off the job

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PART II Session One

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ANALYSIS

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AIM The aim of this part is to constructively involve you in a field exercise which identifies and analyses serious hand injury hazards that exist in the workplace
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CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE PROCESS

Inform you of the critical risk exposure process Select teams Select work locations Identify hand injury hazards in work areas Analyze risks associated with these hazards Record the analysis Present the findings/analysis prioritize the risks Develop an action plan for improvement 41

CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE ANALYSIS

CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE ANALYSIS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE WORKSHEET ( Refer to O/H ) PRIORITIZE THE RISKS ACTION PLAN ( JOB DESCRIPTION, POTENTIAL HAZARDS, RECOMMENDED CORRECTIVE MEASURES )
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PART II - Session Two CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE ANALYSIS

WORKPLACE EXERCISE Split the group up into teams of 4 or 5 people Allocate each team to a specific work area: Production Area Mechanical Workshop Electrical Workshop Administration Provide the teams with an adequate number of blank critical risk exposure worksheets and prepare them for the task using the perception

exercise
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GROUP PROCESS EXERCISE - Look and See

AIM

To provide a quick and meaningful demonstration that we often dont pay attention to familiar items

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PART II - Session Three CRITICAL RISK EXPOSURE PRESENTATIONS

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HAND SAFETY (Summary)

Control Measures for Reducing the Risk of Hand Injury be aware of the potential hazards in your workplace identify new hazards for your supervisors attention Follow company policy regarding hand protection keep safety shields in place wear appropriate personal protective equipment continue.. 46

HAND SAFETY
Control Measures for Reducing the Risk of Hand Injury

wash hands frequently when working with chemicals follow good housekeeping practices plan your activities out - dont get distracted

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THE END

THANK YOU
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