Injuries to the hand and fingers are extremely common in construction. Not only does this harm the worker, but medical costs and disability claims can escalate rapidly. Fortunately, most hand injuries are preventable – that’s where proper glove use comes in.
See how this Michigan-based contractor avoided a major injury by switching to HexArmor’s Helix® 3016.
The issue
An ironworker crew was tasked with shaking out steel for the powerhouse infill steel project. To help, two of the workers had to move an 18-foot-long I-beam with a pre-installed bent plate and a shear tab at one end, requiring the piece to be laid down on the flange and not standing vertically on the flanges.
Due to the beam’s resting position, the workers placed a shake-out hook on the web of the beam on opposite ends to lift the piece and reposition it so it could be properly rigged to set in place. One of the ironworkers placed his hand on the flange of the beam as the operator raised the load.
As the operator was lifting the piece, the center of gravity changed (due to the additional weight of the bent plate and a sheer tab installed), causing the hook to slide down the web of the beam pinching the worker’s finger between the hook and the flange.
The solution and result
The pinching of the worker’s finger in this manner caused quite an injury – but it could have been much worse. Thankfully, the worker wore the Helix® 3016 with level 2 back-of-hand impact protection.
The worker was rushed to the emergency room, and after hearing about the injury, the doctor said the worker certainly would have lost his finger if it wasn’t for the gloves.
Before using the Helix® 3016, workers were wearing gloves with level 1 impact. After this injury, everyone on the work site understood that having the higher impact level was not only the reason this worker’s finger was saved but a necessary improvement to keep hands better protected on the job.
Learn more about Helix® 3016 safety gloves
Download PDF
Don’t forget to share this post!