Work Safety Knives - A Holistic Approach To PPE Equipment Integration
Although there's little doubt that work safety knives make a huge difference in helping to lower the number of work related injuries each year, there are a number of problems which still need to be addressed. Relying on work safety knives to help reduce the number of injuries and accidents isn't always enough, and there are several steps which it will be important to follow in order to help make sure that the implementation of such knives is as effective as it ought to be.
It's very much the same story with most PPE equipment, or personal protective equipment, as a number of workplaces do tend to see the use of such equipment as being the primary way to reduce accidents and injuries, and even the only way in some cases. This leads employees to demonstrate an exaggerated level of confidence, and this can not only result in accidents occurring, but it can in some circumstances actually raise the number of injuries and accidents at work.
So focussing just on work safety knives let's examine the ways in which these should be integrated into a more holistic approach to safety in the workplace where knives and cutting is concerned and needed.
Assessment of Needs & Requirements
One of the first things that should be done is to identify the actual need for a knife in the first place. It may well be that a task has been done a particular way for years, and that by using safety knives the risk is reduced, but in many cases the risk can actually be eliminated entirely.
By changing the way products are packaged, by improving machine cutting accuracy, using different materials or different procedures it has been the case in many businesses that the need for workers to use knives to either unpack materials, trim edges or carry out other operations has been removed.
Although it may not always be the case that the need for using a knife can be removed, it may be the case that the need can be significantly reduced. By looking at why a knife is needed in the first place, and asking whether established procedures, methods, machinery or materials can be altered to reduce or remove the need for knives at all it may well be possible to remove the need for them, or at least to reduce the need for their use.
PPE Clothing
Whilst the use of work safety knives can help to reduce the number of injuries and accidents, and reduce the severity of any injuries which do occur, there is always more that can be done, and that should be done, to help protect workers. One element of this is to identify suitable personal protective clothing which can be worn whilst using a knife.
The type of clothing will very much depend upon the type of knife being used, the type of material being cut, the amount of cutting required, the angle of cutting and other circumstances, but a few options might include safety gloves, arm protection, chain aprons to protect the torso and legs, and foot protection such as steel capped boots or thick leather boots or shoes.
Policies & Procedures
Where knives are required in the workplace there should always be clear, established and enforced policies regarding their use and storage. Most businesses find that it is best to issue work safety knives to people on an individual basis, so that they are personally responsible for the safety an storage of their knife. This means that worn, broken or defective knives are noticed and removed from service more quickly than if all knives are kept in a central location from which people will choose almost at random.
There should also be policies in place to protect against people walking around with knife blades exposed, and suitable equipment provided for the storage of knives, such as a belt harness. A policy should be established so that employees have a clear guide for what to do in events where a knife has been determined to be defective, worn, broken or damaged in any way, ensuring that the knife is removed from service and a replacement obtained.
By looking at a range of areas it is often the case that the implementation of work safety knives can be made to have an even greater effect on the overall reduction in the number of accidents and injuries in the workplace.
Questions and Answers
There's no doubt that safety knives play a crucial role in safety at work, but what proportion of accidents at work would you guess were knife related? Surprisingly recent statistics show that knife injuries account for between 25% and 50% of all accidents at work which result in the employee requiring time off. That's an astonishing statistic, and one work thinking about.
Although it is clearly preferable to try to identify ways in which the use of knives in the work place can be eliminated through alternative manufacturing processes or packaging materials, there are occasions when it is simply impossible to completely remove the need for knives and other bladed implements. In these cases, as well as using safety knives for work which help to reduce risks and hazards, it is also essential to make sure that adequate policies are put into place.
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