It’s not news that construction workers face a lot of potential risks on the job, from working at height, to working with power tools, to interacting with construction vehicles.

But it’s important to remember that contractors face a lot of risk on a smaller scale, too—namely, risks to their hands.

Hand injuries account for 5-10 percent of all emergency room visits nationwide. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 110,000 workers each year miss work due to hand or finger injuries. That’s a group second in size only to workers who miss work due to back pain and strain.

The situation is even more intense in the construction industry. In 2010, about 20 percent of construction workers experienced a hand injury severe enough for them to miss work. One study found that hand injuries were the most common type of injury sustained by construction workers on the job, accounting for a third of their emergency room visits.

The good news is that proper planning and training can prevent many hand injuries.

Planning for Prevention of Hand Injury on the Worksite

• Conduct a job hazard analysis. Consider the tasks the job requires and who will perform them.
• What type of equipment and materials do workers need for the job? Do any of them present a risk for hand injury? Can you take preventive measures? Are engineering and/ or administrative controls in place to help workers prevent hand injury?
• Do workers require personal protective equipment for the job? Are the right types of gloves or other PPE available in the right sizes?
• Have all employees received training for safe completion of the job—including project managers, foremen, superintendents, and workers? Are all employees aware of the specific risks for hand injury and how to avoid them?
• If the job requires workers to wear gloves, do workers know which hazards the gloves will guard against? Do they understand the importance of wearing gloves that fit and how frequently to replace gloves?
• Do you have an on-site monitoring system in place to ensure that workers are wearing gloves, using guards, and following safety protocols?
• Have you scheduled follow-up hand safety training sessions?

A contractors’ hands are his livelihood. Your workers want to protect their hands from injury, but they need your help to succeed.

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