Shield your hands from harm
Importance of hand safety
WARNING - This page contains graphic images viewers may find disturbing or offensive
In the past three years, almost 1 in 3 injuries on sites are hand related with these relating to:
Hitting a sharp edge
Crush injuries
Placing a hand in a line of fire
The three focus areas relate to all hand and finger injuries that we see at McNab.
Serious hand injuries can drastically change a person’s life and yet in many cases, the injury could have been preventable with appropriate safety education and hand protection.
Please read the stories relating to the above focus areas on how a serious injury has occurred and how the outcome could have been very different if the worker protected their hands.
Hitting a sharp edge
Climbing down scaffolding without gloves
A worker who was not wearing gloves was climbing down from mobile scaffolding when he stood on excess material and slipped causing him to fall. As he fell the worker put his left hand out to brace his fall landing on metal wall framing. This has caused two lacerations to the palm of his hand, requiring 19 sutures in total. The severity of this injury could’ve been very different if the worker was wearing appropriate gloves.
Cutting conduit without gloves
Worker was cutting conduit to fit a switchboard in a block wall. In order to feel what he was doing better, he removed the glove from his left hand. As he went to trim the conduit his hand became caught between the blockwork and the conduit cutters resulting in a cut to his palm and received three stitches. The worker would’ve avoided injury if the glove was worn.
Crush injuries
Crushing blow to the finger
A worker was adjusting the height of a sewer pipe with a lump hammer when he struck his finger. The force from the hammer split and fractured the tip of his finger bone.
Unprotected finger injected with water
A worker was changing the nozzle on a high pressure cleaner when the trigger was engaged accidently. A jet of water was released, injecting into the his left index finger. The injury led to the doctors cutting the full length of his finger to treat and monitor the infection. The worker was not wearing gloves at the time of the incident.
Hit by an object in line of fire
Connecting fitting with cam lock leads to injury
A worker stopped and helped another worker with lay-flat hose. As he went to connect two fittings with the cam lock, one of the arms broke off the cam lock causing the worker’s hand to hit the sharp edge, which cut the palm of his hand. Worker received medical treatment, which included three stitches and glue to close the wound. He was not wearing gloves at the time of the incident.
Workers hand lacerated due to worn gloves
A worker was sheeting ceilings and corridors and folded a sheet to cut with a Stanley knife when the blade slipped and lacerated his palm. He was wearing fingerless gloves at the time that were not fit for purpose, resulting in the Stanley knife cutting his hand through the glove. Worker received medical treatment and five stitches to the palm of his hand.
*McNab restricts the use of fixed blade Stanley knives.