Hand Safety Toolbox Talk

Welcome to another episode of Safety Toolbox Talks with me, Shannon Smith from Safer Me. In today’s Toolbox Talk, we’re going to talk about hand safety. Hand injuries are one of the most common workplace injuries even though they are almost always preventable. To help you keep your staff and worksite safe, we’ve put together this Toolbox Talk. This talk covers all the main workplace dangers where hand injuries occur and how you can prevent them from happening. So the reasons why you want to cover off hand safety in a Toolbox Talk is that it’s going to prevent help unnecessary injuries to hands and fingers occurring in the workplace.

It’s going to help ensure staff adhere to safety regulations and standards, ensure companies management adhere to safety regulations and standards, helps prevent exposure to dangerous and hazardous materials, and injuries affect our ability to work and overall quality of life. So fewer injuries in the workplace means higher productivity. So there’s seven common workplace dangers which can involve our hands. So number one, we’ve got cuts and lacerations. This is the most common type. This is when you cut your hands while using a tool or other equipment. These injuries can be prevented when you make sure that you use the safest cutting tools available for a specific job that you need to do.

If you’re not sure, you should be asking your supervisor. Before using cutting tools, always ensure the blades are in good condition. Use of the correct PPE for the job that you’re doing. If you have long hair, making sure that it’s tied back and if you wear jewellery, move it so it doesn’t get in the way. Ensuring that you use protective guards on cutting tools. If this is not possible, investigate safe ways of doing the job. Using safe cutting techniques that you’ve been trained to use. And ensuring that you are fully alert and focused when using cutting tools. And these will all help you avoid cuts and lacerations at work.

Hands getting crushed or pinched is another hazard in our workplace. These are called pinch points and this can be prevented by always making sure that you assess the equipment in the area you’re about to work in so that you can avoid any hazards. Making sure you remove or minimise hazards before commencing your job. We have the issue of muscle strains in your hands. When you use hand tools for long periods, you get a risk of straining the muscles in your hands. To help avoid causing damage to your hands, you should try to only use ergonomic tools if possible. Ensure you stretch your hands before and after work. And remember to take frequent breaks.

And if you’re doing repetitive tasks, try to remember to move your hands in the opposite direction now and then to avoid cramps and muscle strains. Touching hazardous substances is another hazard. You can avoid this from happening by, before attempting to do a work task, make sure you wear the appropriate safety gloves for the job that you’re doing. For example, there are different gloves to protect you when you’re handling dangerous substances and when carrying rough objects that might cause cuts or splinters, etc. Before touching any potentially hot surfaces, gauge temperature first and when around dangerous substances and surfaces, make sure you stay fully aware of what you’re touching.

Our next hazard is injuries from injuries when we’re carrying objects. So it’s also common to injure yourself when carrying heavy and sharp objects around the work site. To avoid this happening, make sure that you ensure the path that you are going to carry objects is clear of any hazards. Ensure that you and the objects you are carrying will safely fit through any passageways. Ensure that you wear the appropriate safety gloves. If you get tired or worn out when carrying heavy objects, make sure you stop and rest and, if required, ask another employee to help you. Our next hazard is hand injuries caused by falling over.

When you fall over, your hands are often the first body part to hit the ground, which can result in injuries. To avoid this happening, the walkways on work sites need to be kept free of clutter. When walking up or down staircases, use handrails. Make sure you always know what’s in front of you and avoid using a mobile phone whilst walking around, because it can be a distraction. Finally, we’ve got injuries caused by machinery. And what we mean by this is when you put your hands into machinery or other dark spaces without checking what is inside. And to stop this from happening, we should never be reaching into any machine or space without carefully inspecting it first.

And we should be turning the power off if necessary. So in summary, our key takeaways from this toolbox talk are make sure we’re wearing the correct PPE. Be aware of your surroundings so you can see hazards. Keep the work site free of clutter and other preventable hazards. Use the correct tool for the job and ensure they’re in good order. If you get fatigued, take a break. Don’t rush dangerous jobs. Be aware that PPE only works when you use it. Make sure you’re wearing gloves. And finally, make sure you’re only doing jobs which you’re trained and certified to do. You’ve been listening to the Safety Toolbox Talks by SaferMe. SaferMe is easy to use safety software for your business.

It includes a whole lot of really handy digital safety forms, risk registers, contact tracing solutions, and a whole lot more. If you’re trying to make the digital transformation for safety in your business, then give us a crack. Head to safer.me.