Check This List to Ensure Workplace Hand Safety

To manage hand safety effectively, you have to anticipate the hazards and check to make sure that you have effective plans in place to prevent injuries.
This is just a basic hand safety management checklist. Feel free to add to it. Customize it. Make it your own. And make your workplace a safer place for employees' hands.

Training

• Do workers understand the potential for hand injuries on the job?
• Do workers remove jewelry, gloves, etc., before working with machinery?
• Do workers check for sharp edges, slippery materials, etc., before lifting
  or handling objects?
• Are workers trained to select the right tool for the job and use it correctly?
• Are tools stored safely, with no exposed sharp edges?
• Are workers trained in basic first aid for hand injuries?

Engineering Controls

• Do machine guards prevent hands from contacting the point of operation
  or moving parts?
• Are guards designed to permit machine maintenance?
• Are lockouts used before machines are repaired?
• Are processes automated if possible to reduce worker contact with machinery?
• Are materials fed automatically or with push sticks into machines?
• Is manual material handling kept to a minimum?

  Protective Equipment

• Are gloves worn whenever there’s no risk they‘ll get caught in machinery?
• Do gloves fit properly?
• Do gloves match identified hazards:
• Insulated gloves for heat and cold?
• Reflective gloves for radiant heat?
• Rubber gloves with insulated liners for electricity?
• Metal mesh gloves for sharp objects?
• Leather gloves for rough surfaces?
• Neoprene or nitrile rubber gloves for corrosives?
• Fabric gloves for slippery objects?
• Gloves designed to protect against specific chemical hazards?
• Are chemical safety gloves:
• Clean and intact?
• Rinsed thoroughly before being removed?
• Cleaned thoroughly before being put away?
• Stored right-side-out in a cool, dry, dark place?
• Do workers cover cuts and scrapes before working with chemicals?
• Do workers check labels and SDSs before working with chemicals?
• Are chemical containers closed when not in use?
• Do workers wash hands with soap and water after working with chemicals?