Laceration Prevention DOE OE Committee March 11, 2014 Robert Selvey Safety & Health Services Division Personal Protective Equipment SME

Agenda  Background info on Lacerations - Injury Costs, Hazards, & Controls  Hazards- At Risk Tools; Surfaces  Control Measures- Safe tools; PPE  Self-Assessments (Surveillances) BNL 2014 OSH Objective: Reduce Lacerations To prevent lacerations: expand implementation of craft engagement through tool replacement and employee awareness. Line organizations conduct review of work spaces for inappropriate cutting implements (i.e. razor blades, personal knives, etc.) Target: 50% Reduction in laceration events.

The cost of Lacerations (besides pain and suffering) National Safety Council estimates that each laceration costs$13,948 There are 439, ,000 disabling hand and finger injuries each year in the US

Perform Self Assessments Site level Target & Objective for 2014  Objective: Reduce Lacerations To prevent lacerations:  Expand implementation of craft engagement through tool replacement and employee awareness.  Line organizations conduct review of work spaces for inappropriate cutting implements and hazardous conditions (i.e. razor blades, personal knives, sharp edges, pointed objects, etc.)  Target: 50% Reduction in laceration events. Self-Assessments (Electronic Surveillances database)

Self-assessment (Surveillance) Who? Anyone 4 questions: 1. Sharp edges 2. Puncture Hazards 3. Cutting tools 4. PPE in use

Self-assessment (Surveillance) 1a. Are sharp edges present (laceration hazards) b. Exposed fixed blades c. Sheet metal edges exposed (not de-burred) 2. Is there a puncture hazard present a. Unguarded rod ends b. Pointed objects present c. Knives or blades with pointed ends being used

Hazards that create lacerations  Tools  Tools with sharp surfaces  Knives  Razor blade tools (paint scrappers, box cutter, Extacto®)  Saws  Surfaces  Surfaces with sharp edges & burrs  Sheet metal with sharp, serrated edges  Metal tubing burrs  Glass edges and shards  Thin surfaces- metal, paper, plastic Protection by: Removal or covering sharp edges & Gloves (PPE)

Metal burr  A raised edge or small pieces of material remaining on a work piece.  Created after machining operations, such as grinding, drilling, milling, engraving or turning.  It is removed by de-burring- Manual; Electrochemical; Thermal energy; & Cryogenic

Punctures Some likely sources to be considered in the surveillance:  Cut end of wire  Broken Glass/ Plastic  Barb Wire  Metal tubes, wire, pipes Puncture PPE is different from Laceration PPE.

Protect sharp points Some likely controls to be considered in the surveillance:  Barriers  Covers

Self-assessment (Surveillance) 3. Are cutting tools with sharp blades used a. Fixed blade cutting devices used (Risk Level 5) b. Manually retracting blade cutting devices used (Risk Level 5) c. Auto-retracting blade cutting devices used - auto retracts when pressure removed from trigger (Risk Level 4) d. Smart-retracting blade cutting devices used - auto retracts on loss of contact with object even if pressure on trigger remains (Risk Level 3) e. Concealed blade cutting devices being used (Risk Level 2) f. Bladeless cutting tools used (Risk Level 1)

Traditional Cutting Tools What they have in common: BLADE IS EXPOSED even when it is not in contact with the cutting material

Somewhat safer Cutting Tools What they have in common: Tool has a trigger. The blade is exposed only when the trigger is engaged. But you must take pressure off the trigger for the blade to retract.

Better tools that Lower Risk Safety features are automatic: Blade self-retracts Blade is shielded when not cutting As blade come further out based on friction with material being cut, Clutch on blade disengages. If friction is lost, blade snaps back in.

Safety Level Chart for TOOLS 5 levels of safety in tools Level 5 Hazardous during: Picking Up Use Storage Level 4 Safe during pickup Hazardous during use Safe storage Level 3 Safe during picking up Lower Hazard during use Safe during storage Level 2 No Hazard during picking up, use, or storage Level 5 Manually Retractable & Fixed Blade Knifes No Safety Features Level 4 Spring Loaded Retractable Blade Knifes Some Safety provided Level 3 Smart Knifes Auto Retractable Blade Safety cannot be over-ridden under normal use Level 2 Concealed Blade Safety Cutters Unexposed blade, can not be overridden under normal use Level 1 Bladeless Safety Cutters No metal blades, can not be overridden under normal use Safest Least Safe Level 1 No metal blades

Recommended Safety Cutters Several alternative style cutting devices were evaluated in 2012, including:  Level 3: Self Retracting blade  Martego  Megasafe  Level 2: Concealed blade  Combi

Martego (Level 3) Friction with material being cut keeps the blade out. If friction is lost, blade self- retracts. Blade initially exposed by squeezing trigger. BNL Stock H20000 $21.27

Megasafe (Level 3)  “Smart” Knife  Safe alternative to fixed blade utility knives  Blade automatically retracts when it leaves the material being cut BNL Stock H20005 $14.75

Combi (Level 2)  Concealed blade safety cutter  Protects user and prevents accidental product damage  Safely cuts film, paper, shrink wrap, strapping, banding and bag opening Concealed blade Cuts straps Blunt Tip Opens packing tape Not a BNL Stock Item

Combi (Level 2)

Self-assessment (Surveillance) 4. What PPE is being used a. No gloves being used b. Non-cut-resistant gloves being used (eg. cotton/polyester) c. Non-resistant leather gloves being used (cowhide, pigskin, goat skin) d. Cut resistant fiber gloves being used (Kevlar, Dyneema, etc.) e. Cut resistant steel/fiber composite gloves being used f. Cut resistant stainless steel mesh gloves being used

Cut Resistant gloves  Meet ASTM standards  Best gloves are made of man-made fibers  Kevlar, Spectra, Dyneema; Steel Gloves that are subject to cut risk (do not meet Cut Resistant criteria)  Cotton; Leather, Nylon Cut Protective Gloves

Cut Resistant Gloves Cut Resistant Gloves Used for sheet metal handling and glass handling.  Kevlar ®  Kevlar ® aramid fiber, 5x stronger than steel by weight. Flame, cut, and heat-resistance.  Spectra ®  Spectra ® polyethylene fiber that offers high cut-resistance, even when wet. Its 10X stronger than steel by weight.  Dyneema ®  Dyneema ® polyethylene fiber up to 15x stronger than quality steel by weight and up to 40% stronger than aramid fibers.  Metal Mesh  Metal Mesh interlocked stainless steel mesh offers superior cut and puncture protection due to its strength. Poor comfort and fit. Conducts cold and heat. Manufacturers use ASTM F-1790 for measuring cut protection Scale 0 – 6: Level 0 (least protective) to Level 6 (most protective) – 4 6

Cloth gloves  Cotton or nylon woven fiber  Dipped fabric Low cost, Moderately durable, Good for gripping if coated, Poor to Fair laceration resistance Poor for abrasion resistance Very poor puncture resistance Scale: 0 - 1

Leather Gloves  Deerskin  Pig skin  Goat skin  Horse hide  Cow hide Cost more than cotton, Fair for gripping, Low laceration resistance Scale Very durable from abrasion, High puncture resistant (best)

Puncture Resistance - Leather Cheapest Best

Cut Resistance

Cut & Abrasion Resistance  For cuts: Kelvar and Dyneema are 5x to 10x better than leather; Stainless Steel blends are the best.  For abrasion: leather is best

Conclusions Elimination of injuries from lacerations by: Sharp Surfaces  Removing Sharp Surfaces (deburring and covering) Safer Tools  Using Safer Tools that reduce the exposure to sharp blades PPE  Wearing PPE that is cut resistantSURVEILLANCES Evaluating situations to determine hazards & corrective measures Goal-  Each organization conducts at least 3 surveillances in FY2014.  Convey Laceration Safety techniques to personnel in your periodic communications.

 Samples of the safe cutting tools and PPE are on display in the PPE Demo Room (Building30) on Thursdays.  An Open House for science is planned in March where gloves and safe tools will be part of the exhibit. Questions or comments?