Cuts and Lacerations Cuts and Lacerations Company Harlan McPhee North McPhee South Powerhawke Ravex Richards Company Using the Form Job Name * Job Name and/or Number Date * Cuts and Lacerations When you are working, and at play, there are many hazards that your hands face. Since they are what we do most of our work with, they are usually right in the line of fire. Common injuries include burns, crushing injuries and lacerations. This toolbox talk focuses on lacerations. This is one of the top injury sources that we see at the Phalcon companies. When looking to address a hazard, PPE is always the last line of defense against injuries. When looking to prevent cuts and lacerations, it is best to do things like make sure that you have the right tool for the job. Often times whenever we are looking to cut something, we almost instinctively reach for our trusted razor knife. Sometimes this is the correct tool, but when we are performing such tasks as stripping wire, a manufactured wire stripper is always the correct tool to use. If you have to use an exposed or fixed blade knife for other operations, there are some options for those that make it safer. One way is to use a razor knife with a self-retracting blade, so as soon as the blade loses contact with the cutting surface it retracts into the body of the tool. Another minor thing to do that has been shown to be effective is to buy blades that have a rounded nose to them. Some other tips for safe knife use include: 1) Make sure that the blade is sharp. A dull blade requires more force to make a cut, which increases the likelihood of the blade slipping and ending up somewhere undesirable, like your leg or arm. 2) Remember Boy Scout Knife Rule #1 – cut away from you! Think worst case. Envision the knife slipping out of the material and where it will end up. Cutting away from you puts the blade in a better position if this happens. 3) Stay focused on the task. Don’t get distracted. A couple other common sources of lacerations can come from fish tapes and handling material with sharp edges such as light fixtures. We have come a long way in reducing our hand lacerations, mostly due to wearing cut resistant gloves. Notice that they are cut resistant, not cut proof. They will provide you protection, but depending upon the exposure, you may get no injury at all or the gloves may help reduce the extent of the laceration. One of the other areas where we see injuries due to cuts and lacerations is to arms. The more common source of this is working around sharp edges such as metal studs, panel edges, ceiling tile framing and light fixtures. The best protections we can use in these circumstances are wearing Kevlar sleeves in addition to the cut resistant gloves. If you are going to be working around any of these hazards, contact your safety department so they can get them out to you. Hand lacerations can result in much more than just a nuisance cuts. Deeper cuts can affect nerves and cut tendons and muscle, often requiring sutures or even surgery to correct. These deeper lacerations are also more prone to infection. Treatment of lacerations: Notify the Safety Department as soon as possible and call 911 if: •A cut is bleeding severely •Blood is spurting out •Bleeding can't be stopped after 10 minutes of firm and steady pressure Take the following steps for minor cuts: 1. Stop the Bleeding - Apply direct pressure on the area. 2. Clean and Protect: •Clean the area with warm water and gentle soap. •Apply an antibiotic ointment to reduce chance of infection. •Put a sterile bandage on the area. Work with the safety department to obtain additional treatment if the cut is deep or over a joint, you cannot get the cut or laceration clean, the injury is a deep puncture wound, the person has not had a recent (within the last 5 to 10 years) tetanus shot or booster or the cut is from a human or animal bite In closing, remember that you need your hands to make a living and to enjoy the other things in life. Take care of them! Additional Comments Foreman Name * Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Toolbox Talk Attendee Attended By (Required) Picture Upload Drop a file here or click to upload Choose File Maximum upload size: 52.43MB reCAPTCHA If you are human, leave this field blank. Submit Δ
