PPE: Impact protection gloves
Onsite Safety Management Inc.
Hands Need Protecting
One often neglected part of PPE is protection for your hands. We always think of eye, hearing, head, and foot protection but what about the thing most work is actually done with?
There are a few different types of injuries that can happen to workers hands. These are more prominent in the industrial fields and especially when you are required to use hand tools or are working around heavy objects.
Bruises
Abrasions
Lacerations
Broken or fractured bones
Punctures
Many of us have experienced the impact injury of striking our thumb with a hammer. This is a great example of an injury that can be avoided by using impact protection.
Ways a hand can be injured include the following:
An object strikes the hand
The hand slips off one object and strikes another
The hand is caught between 2 objects
All of these injuries will make it difficult if not impossible to perform regular work tasks using the hands. For this reason, it is important to use the necessary caution and protective equipment when working with your hands.
Anatomy of the Hand
Your hand are made up of 2 categories of bones.
The metacarpal bones are found in the base or palm area of your hand and are the connection between your fingers and your wrists.
Your finger bones are known as your phalanges.
All of these bones and the muscles that cover them are at risk when proper protection and caution is not taken while working.
While all parts of the human body have incredible dexterity the hands and feet have particular importance when it comes to dexterity and capability.
Protecting the Goods
The best way to protect your hands is by being aware of where they are at all times.
Don't place them beneath heavy objects
Use other tools when it’s necessary to come close to a moving piece of equipment.
Always use machine guards and safety barriers.
Gloves are also a useful resource for protection against
Impact resistant gloves
Impact resistant gloves provide a flexible and durable layer of protection to the back of the hand to reduce the severity of impact-related injuries. Some oil and gas companies claim that hand related impact injuries were reduced by up to 50% simply by providing impact resistant gloves.
MCR Safety makes a great pair of gloves that are an example of optimal protection and improved grip for hand safety.