Cut Resistant Gloves Are Just The Start
Safety is a huge priority at Engineered Profiles. Every year we strive to reduce injuries on our production floor.
Even one accident is one to many. In any manufacturing environment safety is on everyone’s mind. Focusing on individual areas can be an effective way to reduce incidents plant wide, which is why management at Engineered Profiles decided to initiate a campaign to eliminate hand injuries.
Reducing hand injuries is not as simple as it sounds. In addition to training employees in the safest way to perform their duties, additional safety equipment can be issued that not only protects but makes the operation more efficient. Less hand injuries means more parts out the door. Cut resistant gloves became the first solution in the hand injury elimination campaign. A study was done concerning the types of work where hand injuries most often occur, and samples were obtained of a wide variety of glove. These gloves were given to associates who wore them and gave constant feedback regarding their effectiveness, the comfort of them being worn, and their effects on manual dexterity. Coordination between production and safety staff resulted in determining the glove that offered the best protection for the environment without hindering the ability to accomplish the complex tasks associated with extrusion.
These cut resistant gloves are just the first step in the elimination of hand injuries. These types of incidents are usually the result of opening a box or making some kind of cut with a knife or other blade. Even with proper training accidents can still happen. That is why Engineered Profiles associates are currently trialing ceramic box cutters. These blades are specially sharpened so that they can slice corrugated boxes with ease but will not penetrate skin. The points are also rounded to reduce the risk of puncture during a slip. So far these special ceramic box cutters are proving to be both safe and effective.
The combination of cut resistant gloves and ceramic safety blades makes for a safer environment for all of our associates. It also means less potential down time so more parts go out the door to our customers. Engineered Profiles is committed to providing a safe work environment, which is why both the cut resistant gloves and the ceramic safety blades are being provided to associates at no cost. At this time, there are no limits or hidden charges as we continue to analyze best practices and tools. If an employee needs gloves or a cutter they pick them up from their supervisor. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and a safer work environment leads to a better experience for our associates and better profiles for our customers.
