Topic : Hand Protection
Every year, about millions of workplace hand injuries are getting reported and treated for acute and serious hand, finger, and wrist injuriesa. In these many injuries resulted in amputations.
The most common identification for victims experiencing hand, finger, and wrist injuries were not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). and damage wore gloves or PPE that were inadequate, damaged, or wrong for the type of work being performed.
Employers to determine the most appropriate types of PPE for employees’ hands based upon the specific work conditions and potential workplace hazards of the task to be performed.
Many employers have found success in having their employees conduct their own hazard assessment for hand safety. It makes sense that involving employees in the assessment process increases their safety awareness. For example, when opening up a discussion about hand safety, ask the employees to list all the ways their hands might be injured on a particular job. This might include:
- Cuts, lacerations, punctures, and even amputations
- Abrasions from rough surfaces
- Broken fingers and bones in the hand
- Chemical burns and severe skin irritation
- Thermal burns from touching extremely hot objects
- Absorption of hazardous substances through unprotected skin
It has been proven that wearing gloves reduced hand injuries by number of times. Although gloves will help protect against many of the above hazards, not just any kind of glove protects against all hazards.
So, how do you select the right gloves for the job? As with any PPE selection process, the first step is to conduct a risk assessment to identify and understand the potential hazards.
Identify the substances (particulates, liquids, and gases) present in the work site and the hazards associated with these substances. Survey the work site and list all physical and environmental hazards such as sharp instruments, rough surfaces, or machinery. Also, make a list of employees who will be wearing the gloves, the work each person will do, and what equipment will be used. Keep in mind that some hand injuries (lacerations, crushing, broken bones, amputations) cannot be prevented by gloves.
Gloves should be evaluated by the following criteria:
- Mechanical protection: resistance to cuts, punctures, and abrasions
- Chemical protection
- Full protection: no holes or tears
- Heat and flame protection
- Vibration reduction
- Allowing dexterity for the job at hand
In addition, consider other hand protection features such as length, size, and areas of coverage, type of cuff, surface finish, and any attributes affecting function or comfort. Also consider the materials the gloves are made of.
Select gloves that offer the optimal combination of features and performance. Periodically reevaluate your choices with your employees.
When it comes to choosing appropriate hand protection, gloves materials and conform is much important so it now made of materials such as vinyl, nitrile, and neoprene easy to use and durable.
The standard addresses the classification and testing of hand protection for specific performance properties related to chemical and industrial applications.
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