Hand Protection Toolbox Talk
Use the following hand protection toolbox talk to understand how injuries to hands and fingers occur and ways to control the risk. Hand safety awareness is vital to protect employees in many workplaces. You can also discover more than 60 other toolbox talks covering various topics with our toolbox talks kit online.
Hand safety toolbox talk
Introduction
Hands and fingers are injured more often than other parts of the body. This is because of two reasons:
- Hands and fingers are required for most work activities.
- Hands and fingers are vulnerable to crush and cut type injuries as well as exposure to harmful materials used at work and exposure to vibration and repetitive strain injuries.
Injuries to hands and fingers can be caused by one or more of the following:
- Severed fingers or hands due to rotating machines such as saws and cutting wheels – ensure guards are in place and operating. Use push sticks on saw benches.
- Crush injuries due to incorrect use of tools such as hammers. Contact with in-running nip points on machinery – tools and equipment must be maintained. Defective equipment such as cold chisels with mushroom-shaped ends must be replaced/repaired. In-running nip points such as chain and sprocket transmission must be guarded.
- Skin allergies such as dermatitis due to handling harmful materials such as mould oil – avoid skin contact. Wear suitable gloves if necessary. Wash and dry hands to remove any substance from the skin.
- Exposure to vibration – avoid manual processes if possible, organise work to include breaks reduce exposure time, share workload, and wear anti-vibration gloves.
- Exposure to repetitive work – avoid manual processes if possible, organise work station to minimise strain, allow for breaks, plan workload, and share work activities.
YOUR HANDS ARE NOT REPLACEABLE – TAKE CARE OF THEM.
Name:
Company:
Signature:
Person carrying out TBT:
……………………………………….
Date:
……………
Save time on your health and safety docs! Create RAMS, unlimited risk assessments, and method statements online in just minutes. Access our health and safety software and start your free 15-day trial to see how it works today.