Beyond Gloves: 7 Things to Do to Keep Your Hands Safe at Work

Wearing the right pair of safety gloves is the solution to a lot of hazards that put your hands at risk. But it's not the only one - nor should it be.

You've heard before that your hands are one of your most important tools, and it's true. They're used in almost every single work task you'll carry out over the course of a shift.

Because of that, they're also one of the most exposed and vulnerable parts of your body. No matter the hazard, your hands are likely in the line of fire.

The most obvious way to protect your hands is with the right PPE. Every worker engaged in hazardous work should wear safety gloves suitable for the job. But gloves are your last line of defense, which means a lot of other control measures should be in place to keep your hands safe.

(Learn about 12 Types of Hand Protection Gloves)

There's No Substitute for Safety Gloves

OSHA Standard Number 1910.138 (a) for Hand Protection requires employers to select and enforce the use of appropriate hand protection for any employee whose hands are exposed to hazards.

While gloves are not the only protective measure, they are essential for protecting hands from a variety of hazards, including:

• Pinch points from various machines and devices, such as power presses, conveyors, and hatches
• Sharp objects including tools, blades, broken glass, or shredded metal
• Line-of-fire hazards that occur when the hands get in the way of a tool's operation, such as a hammer smashing down on the thumb or a hand getting caught between a pair of rollers
• Defective equipment, including improper grounding, inoperative machine guards, and damaged tool blades
• Extreme cold resulting in frostbite or permanent tissue damage
• Chemical burns and other adverse effects from exposure to harmful chemicals
• Electrical shock which can be prevented by wearing gloves made from the right materials, including gloves rated for arc flashes
• Biological hazards such as germs, viruses, and medical waste

Gloves are irreplaceable. When your hands accidentally come into contact with jagged metal or the sharp edges of a pane of broken glass, wearing the right glove is the only thing that will keep you from sustaining an injury. That's why in almost every workplace, you'll have empoyees carrying out their work with gloved hands.

There are, however, other steps you need to take to protect your hands on the job. Here, we'll go over seven of those.

1. Conduct a Hazard Assessment and Job Safety Analysis

Conducting a hazard assessment will allow you to identify the tasks and environmental factors that put your hands in danger. It allows you to take the time to review equipment for pinch points, note materials that may be jagged or become splintered, identify extremely hot and cold surfaces, and list potential sources of chemical exposure.

Once a hazard assessment is completed, it should be communicated to any workers who might be exposed to the relevant hazards on an annual and intermittent basis in order to spread awareness and help cultivate safety culture.

A job safety analysis (JSA) is the next step. It is usually conducted by a foreman or supervisor, who will list each task and provides a step-by-step process to safely execute it. The JSA should provide a methodical means to eliminate or mitigate exposure to hazards and identify when safety gloves shall be worn and what type.

(Learn more in 4 Steps to Conducting Effective Job Safety Analyses)

The JSA should be communicated and reviewed before starting each new task and at regular intervals thereafter. Workers should be encouraged to assist and comment on the JSA as their feedback is invaluable in the creation and maintenance of this living document.

2. Implement Engineering Controls

Before the safety gloves even come on, it's important to ask whether the hazard can be eliminated entirely. If it's not possible, consider whether there are any engineering controls that could be implemented. These are hazard control measures that modify the processes, equipment, and materials involved in the work.

(Learn more about The Hierarchy of Hazard Controls)

One good example of this is machine guarding. Machine guards are protective barriers that prevent the worker from making contact with the moving parts of a machinery. Outfitting machinery with guards significantly reduces the likelihood that a worker will be exposed to cutting, crushing, or other hazards that could harm their hands.

3. Mitigate Ergonomic Risks

Ergonomic risks are often overlooked because their negative effects are not immediate. But ergonomic and repetitive strain injuries are far more common than many suspect.

Workers who regularly repeat tasks, use forceful exertion, or are exposed to vibration and sustained awkward positions are at risk to ergonomic injuries.

Enlist an ergonomic specialist to assess your workplace and help you implement a repetitive strain prevention program.

4. Proper Tool Use and Care

All tools should be inspected prior to use, serviced regularly, and the workers using them should receive formal training on their proper use. Refer to owner's and operator's manuals to determine maintenance and servicing intervals.

Generally, the responsibility for inspection lies with the supervisor. However, workers who use tools and equipment daily should also inspect them before starting their work. As soon as any problems are discovered, the tool must be removed from use and tagged. The tag should read something along the lines of "Defective – Do Not Use."

The misuse of tools and equipment is a frequent cause of injuries. It's often assumed that everyone knows how to use common hand tools, but this assumption can lead to injury.

Employers and supervisors have a responsibility to ensure that all workers are trained and competent in the use of the tools and equipment in their workplace. Training programs can be created internally and reviewed periodically throughout the year (consider these 6 Ways a Permanent, In-House Safety Trainer Can Benefit Your Organization). They can also be communicated to new hires during orientation. Companies can also look to external training providers to assist then in delivering training to their employees.

The training program should pay close consideration to all equipment and tools, no matter how mundane the task. Every employee, no matter how much experience or seniority they have, should be required to participate. This training is an opportunity to make sure that fundamental safe practices are fresh in everyone's minds.

5. Safety Data Sheets

To help protect against exposure, employers must inform workers of the specific chemicals used in the workplace and provide access to the corresponding safety data sheets.

Employers and safety committees should make a list of controlled products onsite available to employees. The list should be reviewed and updated as new products come in or old ones exit.

The safety committee and supervisor should review the safety data sheets and draft a list of PPE required to safely handle the products.

6. Foster a Safety Culture

A successful health and safety program starts with a positive safety culture. Every company should encourage and promote safety from the moment a worker starts their shift right until the moment they clock out at the end of the day.

Employees respond well to a positive safety culture and well communicated policies and programs. They are more apt to follow safe work procedures, use the PPE supplied, and report hazards to their supervisors.

With a positive safety culture, every employee – both new and seasoned – knows that safety in their workplace truly is number one. Supervisors and management should be encouraged to attend the same safety training as their workers in order to lead by example and communicate the value of these initiatives (see Workplace Safety Culture 101 to learn more).

7. Ensure Proper Housekeeping

Construction debris tends to be irregular in shape and hard to handle. It can also be full of sharp edges. Making sure it gets cleared away helps prevent injuries.

A low standard for housekeeping can wear down the morale of workers but it can also lead to cluttered pathways impeding material handling equipment and thus increasing the need for manual handling.

Employers should provide ample disposal systems for the various types of degree created over the course of a regular work day. Materials should have nails, screws, and sharp edges bent over or removed, and employers should promote daily post-work clean up tasks.

Conclusion

Wearing gloves that give your hands ample protection is essential to keeping them safe. But it's not enough. By looking beyond the glove and implementing various other measures to mitigate risks, you can be confident that you or your employees will make it through the day with their hands unharmed.

For more Hand and Arm Protection content, check out our Hand and Arm Protection Knowledge Center.