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Hazard Recognition
Everyday Tools Pose Danger if Not Used Properly
Tools are such a common part of our
mlives that it is difficult to remember they
elated hazards.
In the process
t ay pose hazards. OSHA maintains that
mools are manufactured with safety in
o ind, but, tragically, a serious accident
sften occurs before steps are taken to
rearch out and avoid or eliminate toolof
removing or
avoiding the
hazards, workers
must learn
to recognize the
hazards associated
with the different types of tools and the
safety precautions necessary to prevent
those hazards.
Hand Tools
Hand tools are non-powered. They include
anything from axes to wrenches
to box cutters. The greatest hazards
posed by hand tools, according to
OSHA, result from misuse and improper
maintenance.
Some examples:
Using a screwdriver as a chisel may
cause the tip of the screwdriver to break
and fly, hitting the user or other employees.
If
a wooden handle on a tool such as
a hammer or an axe is loose, splintered,
or cracked, the head of the tool may fly
off and strike the user or another
worker.
A wrench must not be used if its jaws
are sprung, because it might slip.
A dull blade on a box cutter can cause
it to slip and injure the user.
Impact tools such as chisels, wedges,
or drift pins are unsafe if they have
mushroomed heads. The heads might
shatter on impact, sending sharp fragments
flying.
The employer is responsible for the
safe condition of tools and equipment
used by employees, but the employees
have the responsibility for properly using
and maintaining tools.
Appropriate personal protective
equipment, e.g., safety goggles, gloves,
14 FSM | April 2014
at hundreds of megabytes. Flat screen
TV’s with theatre-quality images
hang on walls at home. Electric cars
exceed miles per gallon never thought
possible and airplanes cross oceans in
mere hours.
Technology in the health care field is
etc., should be worn due to hazards that
may be encountered while using
portable power tools and hand tools.
Safety requires that floors be kept as
clean and dry as possible to prevent accidental
slips with or around dangerous
hand tools.
Around flammable substances, sparks
produced by iron and steel hand tools
can be a dangerous ignition source.
Where this hazard exists, spark-resistant
tools made from brass, plastic, aluminum,
or wood will provide for safety.
Employers should caution employees
that saw blades, knives, or other tools
be directed away from aisle areas and
other employees working in close proximity.
Knives and scissors must be
sharp. Dull tools can be more hazardous
than sharp ones.
There are other issues to contend with
when hand tools aren’t use properly and
with care.
“As a Healthcare Information Systems
director, I review and analyze operational
costs – and one of the
problems I identified was the waste in
the supply chain of sterile product that
gets damaged and can’t be used,” said
George Fitzgerald, director of Information
Systems for a national hospital
chain.
In today’s world, microcomputers
smaller than a postage stamp store gigabits
of information and communicate
no exception, making quantum leaps in
life saving medicine and equipment capabilities
that work miracles and transform
lives.
But with all these innovations,
Fitzgerald discovered that medical supplies
were being opened using a device
that’s been around for 70 years. The device
has a very sharp blade that if not
used correctly damages expensive medical
supplies and causes injuries.
“Our supply chain teams were opening
medical equipment and sterile supplies
with a box cutter or in many cases
a surgical scalpel – and expensive items
were getting damaged,” said Fitzgerald.
“Once the seal is broken on medical
supplies, the product cannot be used.
Cutting into the content of just one case
of simple things like $10 bandages
packed in five piece lots costs hundreds
of dollars. We call that ‘shrinkage.’ I
call it waste.”
After an extensive review of available
solutions, Fitzgerald found a company
that claimed they had developed a knife
that anyone, regardless of skill or experience,
could open a box without damaging
the contents. He set up a meeting
with expectations of seeing just “a lot
of hot air.”
“The sales rep showed me a box and
said, ‘I have a balloon inside this box
that has been blown up to be bigger than
the box, and I’d like you to cut open the
box using our newest product, the Easy
Cut 4500.’”
As Fitzgerald completed the third cut,
www.fsmlynx.com
showcase
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