IP : Hand Injuries

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Chapter : Injury Prevention

Hand Injuries 

What it would be like to lose the use of one or both of your hands because of an injury?

Our hands and wrists have 27 bones along with the soft tissue that allows us the flexibility and strength to be able to perform tasks. Even a minor hand or finger injury will remind us how important it is to have the full use of our hands.

As per different accident analysis close to 20% of all days away from work injuries are hand related. In fact around 10% of all hospital emergency visits are related to hand injuries and 40% of these injuries involve lacerations or cuts.

Each year million of people suffer hand injuries; over those many serious and disabling. The hand is one of the most complex parts of your body - the movement of the tendons, bones, tissues and nerves allows you to grip and do a wide variety of complex jobs.

Without your hands it would be extremely difficult to do routine simple tasks, such as opening doors, using a fork, or tying your shoes. Tuck your thumb into your palm and imagine trying to tie your shoes. It would be extremely difficult.

Hand injuries are difficult to repair because of the complexity of the hand. After a hand injury, the hand may not function as it did before the injury due to loss of motion, dexterity and grip.

Over 25% of all industrial injuries involve the hand, wrist and fingers. Typical injuries include:

• Puncture wounds
• Lacerations
• Broken fingers
• Contusions
• Thermal Burns
• Chemical Burns

These injuries occur when:

• Cutting or using a sharp tool
• Using hand tools
• Reaching into moving parts
• Working with chemicals
• Touching something hazardous (electrical or thermal)

How should you avoid hand injuries?

• Complete a pre task Safe Plan of Action (SPA) so that you can eliminate the hazards and dangers in the job to be done.
• Be aware of pinch points. Be aware of hot points.
• Be aware of rotating or moving surfaces. Automated machinery may be controlled by remote control, or delay timing devices that cause the machine to start automatically.
• Loose clothing and jewelry may be caught up in moving machinery.
• Never remove machine safeguards or operate machinery with safeguards removed.
• Use the appropriate tool for the job.
• Wear the right gloves, that fit correctly, and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

Hand Tools

Here are some facts about hand injuries and hand tools:

• Many persons are injured annually using hammers.
• Many using standard blade screwdrivers & crescent wrenches.
• Every year, many persos end up in the emergency room as a result of hand-tool-related injuries.

The improper use of hand tools causes many injuries everyday throughout the world. Tools are not used as intended, they are used improperly or they are in poor condition. It is very important to inspect any hand tool prior to its use. Ensure the tool is not worn, broken and is in good working condition.

Here are some other tips: 

Hammers

• Never use a hammer with a splintered, cracked, or loose handle
• Don’t use hammers with rounded striking faces
• Don’t strike a hammer face with another hammer
• Don’t use nail hammer claws as a pry bar

Wrenches

• Use the correct sized wrench for the job
• Don’t use pliers or crescent wrenches on bolt and nuts, use the proper wrench.
• Pull on wrenches rather than pushing them
• Never use a cheater bar on a wrench 

Screwdrivers

• When using screwdrivers, place the object on a flat surface or in a vise, don’t hold it in your hand!
• Don’t use screwdrivers as chisels or pry bars
• Use the correct size driver for the screw
• Don’t use screwdrivers with chipped tips

Chemicals

One way chemicals can enter our bodies is through absorption through the skin. More often than not, this occurs through the hands as we handle various chemicals.

It’s important to read the label and to know the chemicals you are working with and to utilize protective gloves when handling chemicals.


Chemicals can cause irritations to your skin. Most of the time this isn’t acute and doesn’t occur with just one unprotected handling of the chemical, but it’s with repeated unprotected handling of the chemical.

Detergents and solvents can dry out your skin and dissolve the oils in your hands. Your hands may develop a rash that is further irritated as you use your hands to work on various tasks. Continued abrasion of the tender skin can cause you further irritation and discomfort.

Also some chemicals such as caustic Sodium Hydroxide can cause a burn to your hands. Very acid or caustic chemicals can immediately burn your skin from contact.

It’s important you protect your skin with gloves. More importantly, the right glove for the chemicals you are handling. Not all gloves are made the same. Neoprene gloves work great for many workplace chemicals such as solvents and detergents.

However they are not effective for some chemicals such as Benzene. Latex gloves don’t work well with many solvents. Cut-resistant gloves work well on sharp objects, but won’t do a thing against chemicals.

Even after using gloves, you should wash your hands after handling chemicals and especially before you eat, drink or smoke.

Protect your hands from irritation and burns, utilize gloves whenever handling chemicals.

Lacerations

In a recent study of hand injuries the leading cause of injury was contact with cutting or piercing objects, most often pieces of metal, razors and knives, power tools and nails.

Fingers and hands were the most-injured body parts among the construction workers in this study, accounting for one-third of emergency room visits. Many of these injuries were amputations, partial amputations, crushes and fractures where most of are laceration.

So how can we reduce hand injuries? : A recent study found that wearing gloves reduced the relative risk of injury.

We have seen here in our own facility and through the corporation that the wearing of cut-resistant gloves and cut-resistant sleeves when handling or working around cut hazards had dramatically reduced lacerations.The study also showed that workers reported that they had worn gloves at work time, and some  percent reported wearing gloves at the time of the injury. Gloves are only effective when you wear them.

To reduce the chance of injury when working around cut hazards it is important that you wear the cut-resistant gloves and sleeves. They are made of Kevlar or Dyneema and offer cut resistance to sharp objects. Understand, they are certainly not cut-proof, however they afford you much protection when working with and around sharp items such as:

• Utility knives
• Saw blades
• Dies
• Knives
• Sheet Metal
• Glass
• And similar cut hazards

Awareness and Placement

Every year there are thousands of disabling injuries to the hands as people place their hands in places they would not normally think of placing them.

Amputations, crushing injuries and the like occur as people touch moving or rotating parts on equipment and tools.

Failure to use guards, kill-switches, or to follow appropriate lock-out procedures are among the leading hand hazards.

In many cases people are in a hurry and don’t think about the risk associated in doing such or aren’t aware of their proximity to the hazard in the first place.

Every time you are near a moving piece of equipment your risk increases. It’s important to decrease that risk by not touching, leaning or in other ways coming in contact with the running machine.


Some hand injuries occur because people don’t know they were near the hazard. If you are RIGHT handed you need to pay particular notice of the position of your LEFT hand.

We are accustomed to using one hand for many tasks and we “lose track” of the position of the less dominant hand. This less dominate hand ends up leaning or touching something as we are working and that increases our risk when around equipment.

Rules to Preserve Ten Fingers

1. Beware of pinch points.

Train yourself to recognize pinch pints and avoid placing your hands and fingers in such hazardous spots.

2. Expect the unexpected. 

When using wrenches and other hand tools, with which you expect resistance, anticipate that the tool might slip or the object to which pressure is being applied may suddenly give way.

3. Inspect tools.

 Check to see if they are in good condition and safe to use.

4. Do not work on moving equipment. 

If the equipment can be stopped, do so.Working on moving equipment presents a real threat to hands and fingers.

5. Replace machine guards following repairs that require removal of guards.

The presence of machine guards is an important factor in keeping hands and fingers

out of dangerous areas.

6. Be mindful of equipment that starts automatically. 

Never work on such equipment without first eliminating the possibility of automatic startup.

7. De-energize electrical equipment prior to working on it. 

Flash burns caused by electrical equipment shorting out are a threat to hands and fingers when work around such equipment is being performed.

8. Be mindful when closing doors. 

Keep hands and fingers clear. Also, watch for children’s fingers in the family car.

9. Avoid touching lines or equipment that is hot.

 Every hot line or hot piece of equipment is a potential source of painful injury to any hand or finger that comes in contact with it.

10.If the work being performed requires gloves, use them. 

Gloves offer protection from sharp objects, wood and metal splinters, acids, electrical burns, chemicals, and many other sources of injury.