As a tradesperson, the majority of work that you do will be with your hands, and this kind of work in general makes your hands more susceptible to damage and injury over time.
How to protect one of your most important tools
How do injuries happen?
The main cause of damage to the hands is the repetitive actions that you do throughout the day that will affect your fingers, hands and wrists. Other injuries may result from too much pressure on joints or excessive movement.
Consider these easy methods that you can use to help you protect your most valuable assets as a tradesperson.
Avoid repetitive activities
Too much of the same activity will cause repetitive strain injury (RTS), which can also lead to conditions such as arthritis.
Organise your equipment
Keeping your equipment nearby and in good order means that you will be able to easily reach it, not over stretching or twisting the wrists.
All about angles
Keep your wrists at the same angle as your work surface. If you have your wrists on an angle whilst working, you will likely cause wear and tear to your joints. Again, this can lead to conditions such as arthritis later in life.
Take regular breaks
Taking regular breaks will allow you to rest your hands. You can also give your hands short rests by alternating between your left and right throughout the day. Make sure that you also stretch at regular intervals to keep your muscles loose. Tight muscles are likely to lead to stiffness, pain and lack of flexibility.
Choose your equipment carefully
When choosing the tools that you will use regularly, make sure that they have smooth or padded handles. They will cause less wear on your hands and are less likely to pinch your skin. Your tools should also be longer than the palm of your hand and be designed to allow you to work with straight wrists. Tools that require a grip should also be no wider than 5cm in diameter, any longer will likely cause a weaker grip.
Overstretched hands
Your hands should never be stretched enough to cause discomfort, so make sure you buy tools which don’t overstretch your hands.
Choosing the right power tools
When selecting your power tools, see if you can use the trigger with your thumb and middle finger. This means that when you use your index finger to pull the trigger, your tool will be evenly balanced, giving you more control.
Vibrations
Excessive vibration is likely to cause circulation damage, pinched nerves or stressed tendons. Make sure that your power tools are also not giving off too much vibration. If your tools give off unavoidable vibrations, such as a jack hammer, wear gloves which can absorb the vibration.
Source: Zywave Inc. - Construction Safety Matters: Protecting Your Hands
Tradesman insurance with Premierline
At Premierline, we specialise in arranging tailored contractor insurance to help protect you, your employees and members of the public. Our advisors can make sure that your insurance is right for you, and protects your business when you're out and about. Premierline takes care of your insurance needs to let you focus on the most important part of your business; the work that you do.
Related articles
You might also be interested in these other news and insight features:
Business insurance with Premierline
It is important to make sure that you have the right insurance in place to protect the business that you have built. Every business is different and has its own business insurance needs, which is why we work with some of the UK’s most well-known insurers to ensure that you are getting the right insurance cover for your business.
The information and tools contained in this guide are of a general informational nature and should not be relied upon as being suitable for any specific set of circumstances. We have used reasonable endeavours to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the contents but the information and tools do not constitute professional advice and must not be relied upon as such. To the extent permitted by law, we do not accept responsibility for any loss which may arise from reliance on the information or tools in our Insight Hub.