When most people think of work-related hand safety, they immediately think of gloves. And gloves are important, but Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is really the last line of defense against preventable hand injuries. In fact, according to this Hierarchy of Controls graphic from Superior Glove, there are four areas to assess that will be even more effective than gloves when it comes to reducing hand injuries.
When Agilix Solutions teams with our manufacturing partners to offer solutions for customers, we first work with you to reduce the number of hazards for gloves to fight. This can lead to fewer and less severe injuries, lower costs associated with injury and PPE, less downtime, and the ability to use lighter-duty gloves that are easier to work in.
Hand Safety Recommendations from Agilix Solutions
You can obtain gloves from many sources, but Agilix works with you to provide the greatest impact to your overall Hand Safety Program. We partner with leading manufacturers, including Superior Glove and MCR Safety, to offer customers a six-step system designed to create a program tailored to the specific needs and goals of your operation. Let’s take a closer look:
Step 1: Define Hand Safety Goals and Review Injury Statistics
What measurable goals are you aiming to overcome? For many of our customers, the need for a Hand Safety Program is often identified after hand injury numbers start increasing. In this stage, you’re aiming to identify injuries that have occurred and the factors you need to change to bring that number down.
Step 2: Conduct Hazard Assessments and Provide Recommendations
The second step is to get a thorough picture of the work being done so you can identify areas of risk and select products that address your specifications. We aim to understand those variables. What type and temperature of material is being handled? What specific tasks are being performed? Is this an indoor job, or could weather conditions be a factor? What steps through this process provide the greatest potential threat for hand injury? Do workers have gloves for this task? Are they using them? If not, why? The answers to these questions identify opportunities for process improvement and point to hand injury mitigation products tailored to the work being done.
Step 3: Co-create a Hand Safety Action Plan
This step involves collaboration with our manufacturing partners, customers and their workers, to create an action plan. This plan includes such levels of mitigation as changing work procedures and selecting the appropriate gloves for offering the greatest protection from remaining risks.
Step 4: Implement Your Hand Safety Action Plan
Next, we assist as you act on the plan. This includes education of workers to make sure new processes are understood and followed. It also includes the introduction of, and proper usage training for, any new PPE being introduced as part of the Hand Safety Program.
Step 5: Measure Results vs. Goals
At this stage, we help you go back to step 1 to revisit the specific goals from the start of the process. Were they met? Did the new program create new or unforeseen issues along the way that need to be addressed? Are workers complying with the program? Does the new PPE create any compromises for the workers that hinders their ability to do their job?
Step 6: Adapt and Adjust as Needed
Not too many distributors would still be with you at this phase in the game. But alongside our manufacturing partners, we share your focus on outcomes, supporting updates to your Hand Safety Program. We know it’s important for you to make the little adjustments along the way that will ultimately have the greatest impact for your team.
Let Us Give You a Hand with Hand Safety
An average of more than 100,000 workers in private industry suffer hand injuries each year. Many could be eliminated or minimized in severity by better hand protection measures. Keep your team productive and safe for the long haul by working with Agilix Solutions and our manufacturing partners to develop a Hand Safety Program tailored to your people and the work you do. Contact your Account Manager or reach out to your nearest branch to get the conversation started.