Page 4 - April 2022 Track N Times

SAFETY FOCUS

DON’T LOSE YOUR DIGITS

By, Jason Stephens, Field Safety Specialist

As we start the month of April, it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about Hand Safety / Don’t
Lose Your Digits. According to OSHA, of the 286,810 non-fatal occupational injuries to up-
industry, 123,990 involved hands,
per extremities involving days away from work in private
which is more than 43 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The hand
has 27 bones and 30 muscles, plus connective tendons and ligaments. The stakes are high
since healthy hand function is essential to many everyday tasks. According to the National
Safety Council, injuries to the hand are the second most common type of workplace injury.
Some of those injuries include:

• Lacerations (cuts)
• Fractures and Dislocations
• Soft Tissue Injuries and Amputations
• Infections / Burns
• High-Pressure Injuries (Injection from Grease, Hydraulic, and Paint Guns)

OSHA has reported that 70.9 percent of hand and arm injuries could have been prevented
with personal protective equipment, specifically safety gloves. Yet, 70 percent of workers
decide not to wear hand protection, and of those who do, 30 percent don’t wear the right kind
of glove for the task. We all know that PPE is always our last line of defense concerning in-
juries, so what more can we do?

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Volume 3 : Issue 3