Hand injury report reveals those most at risk

A snapshot of Queensland’s construction, manufacturing and mining industries identified young males aged between 15-34 as being the most “at risk” for workplace hand injuries, according to a report commissioned by Anthony Elliott, managing director of Elliotts Australia.

The group accounted for over half of the 1182 total recorded hand injury cases, while the construction industry alone accounted for 33.5% of the overall total number of recorded cases, for the documented period of July 2011 to June 2013.

The report, produced by the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit at the Mater Health Service, collected injury data through participating emergency departments, which were spread across Queensland’s metropolitan (Brisbane), regional (Mackay and Moranbah Health Districts), tropical northern coast (Atherton, Mareeba, Tully and Innisfail) and remote (Mt Isa) areas.

Richard Donarski, the Health and Safety Team Leader for Elliott’s independent certification body, SAI Global, feels that many self-employed tradespeople may not be aware of the requirements that personal protection equipment (PPE) needs to comply with. This, in turn is what leaves workers open to injury.

“It’s a common misconception that all personal safety items are subject to and must meet mandatory standards,” observes Donaski.

“The reality is, because many standards aren’t legislated, some manufacturers choose not to apply standards to their processes. The consequence is that the very products designed to keep you safe may not necessarily do their job as expected.”

Anthony Elliott says that the report highlights the importance of remembering that the role of PPE is to provide the last line of defence against many workplace hazards, and is an effective tool when applied correctly to the hierarchy of controls and strategies implemented by workplaces to protect their workers.

Elliott believes that certification provides an additional layer of assurance to the wearer and their employer. The company has launched two collections of ‘Australian First’ gloves - the G-Flex and Mec-Flex glove ranges. Both ranges are certified to AUS/NZS2161.3:2005 Occupational protective gloves and CE standards.

Elliott says the launch is part of Elliotts’ overall plan to try to lift the glove safety standards in Australia through independent certification and education.