Page 3 - August 2020 Track N Times

Feature Story

Hand Safety

By Tyson Brownlee, Manager Rail Grinding

One of the biggest advantages we have over other animals on this
planet (No its not being able to drink a beer.) is our opposable
thumbs. Yet we continue to abuse our hands, thumbs and fingers.
This would explain June’s safety focus being hand safety. After all,
hand injuries continue to plague not only Loram, but our custom-
ers as well.

To further the emphasis on hand safety, one of the IN-GAGED
safety initiatives is “Don’t Lose Your Digits”. Of the 8 IN-GAGED
safety initiatives 2 are focused on specific body parts, Digits (fingers
and thumbs) is one, the second is ________? Who knows the an-
swer? The first field employee to email the correct answer to me
will get $50 to spend at the Loram company store. Email must be
sent from your Loram email address.
One of the most important things you can do to contribute to your overall safety at work is wear proper hand pro-
tection. This takes discipline because it is easier not to wear gloves, especially for small, routine tasks. The truth is,
accidents, including cuts and puncture injuries to the hand, happen most often while performing these routine tasks. I
know the biggest obstacle to wearing gloves always is performing tasks that require some tactile finesse.

Uncomfortable, improperly fitting gloves make these finesse tasks very difficult, which lead to avoiding the use of
gloves. This avoidance of using proper PPE in our railroad world is not acceptable, so we must constantly look for
ways to improve.

Our mode of constant improvement and safety focus leads us to having programs like “Don’t Lose Your Digits”, or a
month-long hand safety focus. These safety initiatives along with some very painful and preventable hand injuries, have
taken me down the path of finding the best gloves for life on our equipment. These gloves had to check all the boxes,
meet or exceed all prescribed safety standards set forth in Loram’s Hand Safety Standard guide, are a cost-conscious
solution to current glove prices and options, and lastly could withstand the rigors of daily life on our equipment. As
you can imagine the thousands of glove options coupled with personal preference, cost, and safety needs meant this
was going to be a mess.

Continued

PAGE 1 AUGUST 2020