Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

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200395434-001Polyco discusses how choosing the right glove for your employees shouldn’t simply be a box ticking exercise but an opportunity to make for a happier and safer workplace.

Aren’t we all familiar with the children’s counting rhyme “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe”, which is used to select a person to be “it” for games (such as tag) and similar purposes such as counting out a child who has to be excluded from a group of children as part of a playground game. With such a huge range of gloves to choose from, would it be fair to say that sometimes such a rhyme comes in handy.

Hands are vulnerable to a number of dangers for example hands exposed to prolonged or frequent contact with water, particularly with soaps and detergents, are prone to getting work related dermatitis. Other high risks are where hands suffer cuts and abrasions from sharp objects, or hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) that occurs in fingers, hands and arms as a result of using vibrating tools.

Figures released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for the 2012/13 period showed there to be more than 17,400 handling injuries to employees, with seven per cent being major and more than a quarter being over seven day injuries. These figures, together with stats from the period 2010/11 show that more than 3,300 handling injuries were through cuts from sharp material or equipment, raising the question of whether employers and employees really are aware of the dangers?

Protecting workers against such hand injuries is not only to care for employees against potentially life changing injuries, but also the impact it can have on the business itself. The loss of a worker for a long period of time or in some instances forever, can impact on the income to the business.

Glove Selection is Critical
In order to provide workers with the correct hand protection there is the need to properly assess which type of glove would be best for the job. Gloves buy phentermine pills online differ in design, material and thickness. No glove material will protect against all substances and no glove will protect against a specific substance for an extended period of time.

Commenting on the need for the correct hand protection in the workplace, Mark Mastrangelo, Marketing Manager at Polyco said: “A large number of our customers initially come to us knowing that they require hand protection, but don’t know where to start when looking through the minefield of options available.

“Most of the time they will come to us with a list of potential risks that will have an impact on the choice of glove for the job. To help companies determine the type of glove they need for the job, we offer a free, best practice initiative known as the Hand Protection Assessment Survey (HPAS) that helps the employer navigate the sea of choice.”

HPAS is available free of charge to companies with 50+ employees and helps to identify the specification of the most suitable hand protection solutions. The assessment is carried out by experienced industry experts who offer the following:

  • A documented process that will support risk assessment procedures
  • Identification of areas where improvements can be made financially and adhere to best practice procedures
  • A review of existing hand protection and an audit of requirements
  • Professional industry expertise and advice
  • A safeguard against injury claims and time lost due to workplace injury
  • A comprehensive report, highlighting the most appropriate specifications of hand and arm protection.

Remember if you are not providing the correct hand protection for the job you are putting yourself and your employees at an increasing risk of injury. It won’t only affect your ability to carry out day-to-day activities at work, but it can also impact on life outside work too. So, in order to offer the best protection and supply exactly the right glove for the job, request a free assessment from Polyco and you will be assured you are providing the correct hand protection and guarding hands from injury.