Hand Tools Safety
Hand tools have played a vital role in
helping mankind in endless tasks like cutting, drilling, chopping,
slicing, stripping, striking, punching, gripping etc. Today, hand tools
have acquired a very important place not only in daily routine work and
home repairs but also in various industries, farm shop, vehicles,
machinery or facility repair. Hand tools are indeed indispensable
helpmates.
However, hand tools have their disadvantages as well. If they are not
used carefully or not maintained properly, they can lead to serious
injuries.
Possible injuries
- Loss of eye
- Puncture wounds
- Severed fingers
- Broken bones
- Contusions
Guidelines for Hand Tools Safety:
We give below a guideline to avoid hand tools injuries.
- Right tool for the right job: For example, do not use a
knife as a saw or a wrench as a hammer or screwdriver as a chisel
etc.
- Correct size: All tools used for a specific purpose
should be of the appropriate size. You should have the correct sized
tool. Forcing a small hand tool to do the job of a large one may
result in tool damage or injury.
- Proper training: Users should be trained to properly use
the tool. The tools should be used the way they were intended. For
example: you should drive a wood chisel outward and away from your
body.
- Good condition: Tools should be kept in good condition.
Broken or worn tools should be repaired immediately and should be
discarded if no repair is possible.
- Proper storage: Store tools in safe places. Many
accidents occur when tools fall from overhead. Injuries also occur
when sharp tools are left in toolboxes with the cutting edges
exposed or when carried in pockets. Store all sharp-edge hand tools
with the sharp edges down.
- Watch your fingers: You should take special care when
hammering so that you strike not your fingers but the object.
- Keep tools and work area clean: It is very essential to
keep your work area clean. Dirty, oily and greasy tools after use
should be cleaned properly. Spills and scraps from the floor should
be removed immediately after the job is done.
- Avoid using damaged hand tools: Tools that have broken
handles should be considered unsafe.
- Grip tools firmly: Always hold hand tools securely and
tightly so that they do not slip and hit someone.
- Do not wear gloves: Do not wear gloves when holding hand
tools because they are bulky and make gripping difficult.
- Protective clothing: Wear personal protective equipment
like eye wear, face mask, coverall, appropriate shoes, etc.
- Be alert and work defensively.
- Inspect tools before using.
- Tools with "mushroomed head" during use should be
sharpened regularly.
- Keep hand tool cutting edges sharp so that the tool moves
smoothly without skipping or binding. Dull tools are considered to
be more hazardous than sharp tools.
- Keep wooden handles of hand tools free of splinters and cracks.
Safety Guidelines for Few Products
- Never use a screw driver to check if electrical circuits are
hot.
- Never use a carpenter's hammer in place of a machinist's hammer.
- Never strike a hardened steel surface using a steel hammer
because a small piece of steel may break off and injure someone.
- Be sure hand tools like wrenches fit properly.
- Do not use pliers in place of a wrench.
- Razor blades, saw blades, knife blades should be disposed of in
a puncture-resistant sharps container.
- You should never use wrenches their jaws are sprung or loose.
- When using a screwdriver, place the object on a table instead of
holding in one hand and pressing a screwdriver into it.
- Hammers should have heads ground properly.
