The human hands are an exceptional feat of engineering. Made up of complex interactions between bones, muscles and ligaments, they are our most important tools for interacting with the world around us. Our hands are in constant use, involved in almost every task we do on a daily basis, often without even thinking about it, making our hands very vulnerable to injury.
Even minor injuries to our hands can have a disproportionate impact when compared to minor injuries to another part of our body, because our hands are always in use. Consider a simple cut to the index finger vs a cut to your arm. Both will hurt, with a cut to the arm, you will bandage it and likely forget about it. A cut to the finger, however, will cause frequent discomfort as you carry out your tasks; Washing your hands, typing an email, preparing a meal, all basic things you do daily but you will be constantly reminded of the injury due to pain, discomfort or reduced mobility due to the wound.
Due to the importance of our hands in our day to day lives, it is important that we do everything we can to protect them from injury, especially in the workplace. Continue reading “The Importance of Hand Safety”
