Working safe with purpose made tools

There have been great advances in the engineering, design and manufacture of fit-for-purpose knives and cutting tools that will do particular jobs effectively and safely.

For years, innovative employees have obtained and made tools to get the job done. These include hacksaw blades ground to a cutting edge with a handle fashioned from masking tape. These homemade blades have been responsible for some terrible incidents involving tendons and blood carrying parts of the body.

There is no place in the workplace for home made devices.

Kitchen knives belong in the kitchen.

There is a wide range of safety hook blade and retractable blade cutting instruments available. Ensure you have the best and safest tool for the task.

A risk assessment may be required as part of the safety management system to assist in the identification of all hazards inherent with the tool use. Many, if not all, incidents I have investigated have had a common thread. That is, the person was cutting towards themselves and the tool slipped or jammed.

I would urge you to critically review each task that needs the application of such tools on a regular basis. Can they be delivered to site in a format that negates the use of the tool completely or reduces the need?

Always consider elimination strategies before reduction strategies in the risk management approach. It is important that a review is conducted regularly to check the condition of tools.

Also, a constant lookout for non standard tools is critical.

Remember all incidents and injuries are preventable. The better planned and prepared we are the less likelihood of an incident.

Grant Ball
OHS