More Production with less cost is within reach – it’s all about the glove…
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hand injuries continue to be the second leading cause of work related injury. These injuries come with a price tag of $740 million annually (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery) when one factors in both the direct medical cost of the injury and the indirect costs of lost productivity, training replacement employees, repairing possible equipment, and investigating the cause of the injury.
Research continues to confirm that glove use can reduce the risk of acute injury by 60 – 70%. The problem remains that, although glove use can significantly reduce the risk to employees, multiple studies reveal injured workers report not wearing gloves at the time of their injury. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene conducted a study across 5 northeastern states which reveals only 19% of 1166 workers who sustained hand/wrist injuries reported wearing gloves. This leaves 81% of those injured workers admitting to not using gloves at the time of injury. Alarmingly, these numbers appear to reflect that majority of those in the workplace.