Canadian Occupational Safety

26 Canadian occupational safety www.cos-mag.com By Linda Johnson h and safety is always a top concern. But hand injuries need not be sudden or traumatic. ey can happen over time and are just as likely to occur at a keyboard or cash register as at a grinding wheel. Long-term hand injuries are also just as likely to cause permanent damage. It's important to know how to recognize and prevent them. "Any type of injury, especially with the hands, can be quite debilitating," says Janet Craik, director of professional practice for the Ottawa-based Canadian Association of Occupational erapists. "Imagine holding a pencil, typing, all types of things you use (your hand for) and not being able to use your thumb against the middle fi nger. ese injuries can aff ect many areas of a person's life," she says. e most common causes of hand injuries are rep- etition and overuse, along with awkward positioning of the wrist and fi ngers, says Dhananjai Borwankar, technical specialist with the Canadian Centre for Occu- pational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Hamilton. Contact stress — resulting from leaning on elbows at a desk, for example — may also lead to problems. In industrial settings, heat, cold and vibration from electric or pneumatic tools, such as chainsaws, air hammers or jackhammers, can be harmful. Using too much force while gripping can also put stress on delicate areas of the hand, such as the palm. According to Health Risks from Hand-Arm Vibration, a publication by St. Michael's Hospi- tal Occupational Health Clinic in Toronto, regular exposure to vibration can cause permanent injuries to the hands and arms, including damage to the blood circulatory system, sensory nerves, muscles, bones and joints. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when tendons in the carpal tunnel, a structure of bone and ligament in the wrist, become swollen and push on the median nerve, a small nerve that controls movement in the hand, Borwankar says. Symptoms include pain, pins and needles, numb- ness and loss of dexterity in the fi ngers, particularly the index fi nger and thumb. Carpal tunnel syndrome affects many types of workers, including textile workers, farmers, assembly line workers, mechanics, gardeners, painters, computer keyboard users, food processing workers and cashiers, according to CCOHS. e pain is especially bad at night, Craik says, a result, experts believe, of a person's tendency to curl up the hands while asleep. Occupational therapists o en provide wrist splints for patients to put on before bed. "A splint keeps their hands in this neutral position, where their wrist is neither fl exed nor extended," she says. " e splint can alleviate some of the pressure on the nerve, which then eliminates the pain and the numbness. And if we eliminate the compression, we can eliminate some of the long- term nerve damage, which then causes weakness in the muscles of the hand," Craik explains. At work and play Hand injuries are not just work-related TalK to the Best Glove (5101).indd 1 13-03-18 10:07 AM other than cuts and lacerations, workers can also face occupational hand injuries that have long-term effects HaND "Imagine holding a pencil, typing, all types of things you use (your hand for) and not being able to use your thumb against the middle fi nger. ese injuries can aff ect many areas of a person's life," she says. TalK other than cuts and lacerations, workers can also face occupational hand injuries that have long-term effects HaND

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