Need a Hand with Identifying Hand Hazards?

Two tools are essential for almost any job you can think of—your hands. It’s natural, then, that preventing hand injuries should be high on any list of safety priorities. Here’s a handy checklist to help you identify hazards in your workplace that can cause injuries to workers’ hands.

Amputations and chemical burns may be the first things that come to mind, but workers’ hands are exposed to a wide variety of hazards in the workplace. Here’s a little help for your hand hazard analysis.

Identifying hand hazards

Workers’ hands are susceptible to many kinds of hazards, including:

• Chemical hazards. The hands are the most likely point of contact for hazardous chemicals that can either damage the skin directly (causing irritation, sensitization, and other skin damage) or be absorbed (causing systemic effects from organ damage to cancer).
• Chemical burns. A more severe injury than some types of chemical damage, chemical burns occur when the skin comes into contact with acids, caustics, and some other types of strong chemicals.

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• Cuts and lacerations. Severe cuts and lacerations can result from working with machinery and equipment such as:
  • Cutting and forming equipment (for example, table saws and presses);
  • Hand tools (for example, saws and grinders);
  • Metal straps or wires used for packaging;
  • Sharp or unfinished edges on equipment and even guards; and
  • Broken glass.
• Abrasions. Severe abrasions, including scrapes and tearing of the skin, can occur when workers use, handle, or work in close proximity to:
  • Tools and equipment such as sanders, grinders, conveyor belts, and rotating shafts; and
  • Rough surfaces (for example, those sometimes found on scrap metal and lumber).

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Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of disease. The CDC recommends the following technique:

• Puncture wounds. Workers are at risk of puncture wounds when they work with:
  • Tools and equipment such as drills, nail guns, and even screwdrivers;
  • Slivers of metal or wood; and
  • Needles, scalpels, capillary tubes, and other medical or laboratory equipment.
• Thermal burns. Burns caused by heat can result when workers are involved in:
  • Hot work (for example, welding, cutting, and brazing operations);
  • Working on or near steam equipment (for example, boilers and steam piping);
  • Working on or near cooking equipment; and
  • Working on or near industrial ovens for baking, drying, or annealing.
• Frostbite. Working outside in frigid conditions, or working with cryogenic materials, can freeze the skin and surrounding tissues, potentially causing permanent damage.

Tomorrow, we’ll go beyond protective gloves and look at a range of strategies you can use to help prevent injuries to workers’ hands.