Hand Tool Use and Selection Guidance in Construction

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Hand Tool Use and SelectionGuidance in
Construction
Adapted from a presentation developed by
Washington State Department of Labor
Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and
Health
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• Overview
• The hands and wrists are made up of a variety of
  fragile bones, nerves, blood vessels, tendons and
  ligaments that can be easily damaged if they are
  misused.

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• The following are some of the conditions that can
  cause hand and wrist illnesses
• Frequent or repetitive movement of the hand or
  wrist, usually associated with awkward wrist
  angles
• Inappropriate tool and equipment design
• Vibrating tools
• Poor work station design and arrangement
• Cold environments

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Things to consider when using and selecting hand
tools

• 1. Design tasks and select tools to reduce
  extreme flexion or deviation of the wrist
• 2. Bend the tool, not the wrist
• 3. User lower weight tools or reduce the weight
  of the tool

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4. Dont raise or extend elbows with heavy tools
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• 5. Avoid stress on pressure points
• Stress concentrations result from poorly designed
  tool handles or handle areas that exert pressure
  on the palms or fingers.

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• 6. Reduce grip force requirements
• Make sure the tool handle or grip area is the
  right size for your hand.
• 7. Evaluate grip surface
• Look for cushioned, padded, non-slip and
  anti-vibration handle materials.

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• 8. Use a power grip
• Design tasks so that a power rather than a pinch
  grip can be used to grasp materials.
• A pinch grip is five times more stressful than a
  power grip.
• The greater the effort to maintain control of a
  hand tool, the higher the potential for injury.

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• 9. Avoid repetitive trigger-finger actions
• Trigger-finger happens when one of your fingers
  or your thumb catches in a bent position. The
  finger or thumb may straighten with a snap.
• Its caused by the narrowing of the tendon sheath
  when repetitive gripping actions are performed.

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• (Continue - Avoid repetitive trigger-finger
  actions)
• Tendons in the finger joints can swell due to
  overuse, locking the finger into a fixed
  position.
• Select triggers that allow two or three fingers
  to activate.

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• 9. Isolate hands from heat and cold
• Heat and cold can cause loss of manual dexterity
  and increased grip strength requirements.
• Due to developments in glove materials many are
  less bulky and provide better protection.

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• 10. Isolate hands from vibration
• Excessive vibration can cause reduced blood
  circulation and cause white-finger syndrome.

White-finger syndrome
Anti-vibration gloves
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• Thank you for taking the time to learn about
  safety and health and how to prevent injuries and
  illnesses.
• To learn more about ways to protect your hands,
  visit www.choosehandsafety.org