Canadian Occupational Safety

April 2013 27 problems, Craik says. An occupational therapist may visit a person's workplace and home, assessing how activities are performed and how work or recreational areas are physically organized. All kinds of activities, from sports to caring for a child, as well as conditions such as arthritis and diabetes — and even pregnancy — can contribute to hand injuries. "Occupational therapists look at the whole rep- ertoire of daily activities to see if there are any modifications that can be made to minimize the injury and enhance someone's ability to do what they need to do on the job, at home and at play," she says. Ideally, when symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome become apparent, the worker should stop doing the activity that is causing the problem, says Mike McK- enna, executive director of B.C. Construction Safety Alliance in Vancouver. If that's not possible, another option is to reduce the harmful effects of the activity by modifying the work cycle. Instead of spending an entire morning using a jackhammer to break up a concrete section, a worker could spend some time on this task and then switch to another task that doesn't require use of a vibrating tool, he says. Aer some time, the worker can again return to the original task. "When it's possible in the production cycle of the job to not do all the jackhammering over a continu- ous period of time, the worker could intersperse the aggravating activity with other types of activities that are non-aggravating throughout the day," he says. Alternatively, McKenna says, it may be possible to modify the vibrating tool. Building up the sides of the handle reduces the amount of strength required to grip the tool. Certain types of material used on the grip can help dissipate some of the vibratory energy. Carpal tunnel syndrome, he adds, is prevalent among construction workers, who spend long peri- ods of time working with the many vibratory tools used in the industry. "You go to any construction site, and you see the variety of tools that vibrate. It's quite astounding, everything from drills to equipment that's used to pump concrete," McKenna says. "But (whether an injury occurs) depends on the length of time that the worker is exposed to it and also on a genetic disposition developing." "You can put two workers together; one would experience symptoms and the other would have none whatsoever," he says. Another disorder, tenosynovitis, occurs when the lubricating system that allows tendons to move easily through tendon sheaths breaks down, Borwankar says. e resulting inflammation in the sheath causes pain and difficulty in moving parts of the hand. Raynaud's syndrome, or white-finger disease, is caused by use of vibrating tools, which damages blood vessels in the hand and prevents oxygen from reaching the skin and muscles, Borwankar adds. Symp- toms include tingling, loss of sensation, weakness and whitening of the fingers. It may produce a prickly feeling, stinging pain or cold in the fingers. Prevention e first sign of a hand injury is oen a tingling or pain that occurs during an activity, Borwankar says. As the injury progresses, the injured area feels weak or painful even when work is just starting, and it continues aer work is over. In later stages, even with the hand at rest, the injured area feels weak, may ache or have pins and needles. "You're feeling it all the time. is is where it could disrupt your sleep. It could disrupt a lot of functions, including activities during the weekend," he says. To prevent hand injuries, Borwankar advises workers to keep elbows down on work surfaces, to keep palms down, wrists straight and to shi position oen. Use both hands to do tasks, and grip an object with the whole hand, not just fingers. Try to avoid applying pressure to a tool with the palm. "Sometimes, people use their hand as a hammer. at's one of the worst things you can do," he says. "e median nerve ends in the centre of the palm, and that's a very delicate, sensitive area." Workers using vibrating tools can protect their hands by setting the tool to a lower speed (without increasing the job's duration) and using as loose a grip as possible, Borwan- kar says. Maintaining tools regularly reduces vibration, and wearing gloves that limit the transmission of vibrations also helps. Workers, he adds, should also use mechani- cal aids to grasp things, as well as tools with spring-loaded handles and shock-absorbing mechanisms. Gloves made of natural rubber or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) will make grip- ping easier. ey should avoid putting arms and wrists in awkward positions and try to keep the body and hands warm and dry. For their part, he adds, managers need to assess a workers' entire job with a view to addressing the causes of hand injuries, such as repetition, overuse and awkward position. In addition to the workstation and tools, they must also look at what tasks are being performed, how oen and for how long. Managers should provide tools whose type and design is appropriate to both workers and tasks. Large companies could build a library of tools and equipment — alternative mouse M Cordick c G l o v e & s a fe t y 13T5GPU PU COATED PALM What is ? 13T5GN NITRILE GRIP www.mccordick.com EN388 4,5,4,3 EN407 X,1,X,X,X,X EN388 4,5,4,2 Taeki5 ® developed in Europe has been created with total protection in mind. Taeki5 ® is the only yarn on the market able to give a complete pallet of properties in a multitude glove and PPE designs including sleeves and garments. Where other fibres will fail, Taeki5 ® will be there to give you the complete properties and protection for you Hand, Arm and Body. Taeki5 ® protection gears offer: High abrasion resistance High cut resistance Heat contact resistance High comfort and fitting Lint free, washable Do you Now you Workhorse has comfort, dexterity, and protection in mind with our cut & heat resistant glove & sleeve line. Handling abrasive, sharp edges has never been easier. SureGrip ™ ntitled-6 1 13-03-11 4:21 PM THe WoRKeR CoUlD iNTeRsPeRse THe aggRavaTiNg aCTiviTy WiTH oTHeR TyPes oF aCTiviTies THaT aRe NoN-aggRavaTiNg THRoUgHoUT THe Day and keyboards, for example — for workers to try out before large purchases are made. Most of all, Borwankar says, it's important for workers to be trained on the causes of hand injuries, on how they can protect themselves and on the impor- tance of reporting problems as early as possible. "At the early stages of an injury, that's when you need to take action," he says. "at will allow you to reverse the effects and avoid long-term problems." Linda Johnson is a freelance writer based in Toronto. She can be reached at lindajohnson@sympatico.ca.

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