Safe Use Of Hammer - Jpg Download

Dear All

While a very basic tool, hammers can cause serious injury when not used properly... In our plant earlier we were using hammers with steel handle... As this creating more vibration and can cause health problems we now start using the hammers with wooden handle... The type of hammers we are using is ball-peen hammer, also known as a blacksmith's, engineer's or machinist's hammer... Mainly using for the mechanical fabrication, erection activities...

Recently one Near Miss occurred in our plant in which while hammering the head of the hammer flew off left behind the wooden handle in the workers hand... So now people are hesitating to use the hammer with wooden handle... This near miss actually makes me thought of initiating this thread...

Can anyone provide me the following information regarding safe use of hammers:

1. Which type of handle we should advice to buy and use? Wooden, Steel or Fibreglass?

2. If wooden handle is best to use which type of wood to be preferred and what is the duration of replacement of handle?

3. What should be the material of construction of hammer head for reducing vibration and health problem to the workers?

4. To avoid recurrence of above mentioned Near Miss what all actions are supposed to take?

If anybody having a presentation on safe use of hammers please share the same...

I hope this not such a very small issue or a topic for discussion in such a forum... Hope to get solution to my doubts/queries from the forum...

Thanks in advance...

Fiberglass Handles vs. Wood Handles:

Advantages and Disadvantages

Both have advantages and disadvantages.

FIRST, there are good fiberglass handles and BAD. The good ones have the same flex and shock reduction as a wood handle. The bad ones are about like a welded on steel pipe handle. They are worthless AND can cause various joint problems. My experience is that there are more bad ones than good ESPECIALY in cheaper lines. I have had both in carpenter's hammers bought from the same supplier at roughly the same price.

SECOND, the advantages of the fiberglass handle are that they are generally more durable than wood, they do not shrink and get loose, they do not crack. They can be left out in the weather and will not rot or get soaked then loosen. They are great tools for tossing in the back of an open bed truck and not worring about. .

THIRD, the disadvantages of the fiberglass handle are that many are poorly designed as noted (too heavy), they cannot be modified to your personal grip, they are hard to replace and generaly not available as replacements.

Many smiths go to great lengths to carve their handles to their personal grip. This does two things. It makes the handles springier and reduces shock as well as giving the smith a familar grip. This is impossible with a fiberglass handle. Many smiths also cut handles to a shorter length than standard. This too is impractical with a fiberglass hammer as it exposes the fibers in the end of the handle and may cause the rubber grip to fail.

BOTH are subject to knicking of the handle shank on nails or overhangs. Both can be repaired if the knick is not severe but fiberglass handles are less likely to fail due to a knicked shank. I have only knicked a couple hammers in my life but almost ALL my hammers are taped up from others knicking them. . . People will grab ANY hammer and try to drive a nail, often knicking the handle when they miss.

To repair shallow knicks use glue (wood glue on wood, epoxy on fibreglass) to bind the splinters then sand to remove loose rough bits. I then wrap the damaged area with electrical tape to reinforce and cover the rough spot as well as protect from further knicking.

Choice is yours. . . Daily tools inspection help to avoid such kind of accidents in our workplace. . .

Hope its helps. . .

Hand hammers are among the top causes of injury in the construction industries. Most injuries caused
by using hand hammers are broken or badly bruised fingers or thumbs. Other injuries especially to eyes are caused by chips of metal flying off, damaged hammer faces or burred punch and chisel heads. It will be safe if you choose a hammer with a striking face diameter 25mm wider than the face of the tool being struck. Never use a hammer to strike another hammer, Hardened steel on both can shatter. Ensure the correct weight hammer is used for the job. Avoid striking hardened metal objects or tools, which may chip or shatter, sending particle flying at high speed. Always use appropriate personal protective equipments. Operators and stand by personals must wear Googles, safety glasses or face shields . Metal fragments can injure the eyes of others working nearby if the safety glass do not have adequate side protection. Safety boot will protect the feet against dropped metal and tools.Constent supervision is to be provided for personal new to handling hammers. Don’t underestimate the danger of hammers.
Regularly check the hand hammers to ensure the head is firmly fixed to the handle and the wedge is tight. Ensure the striking faces of the head are smooth and free from oil. Ensure striking faces are free from chips or burrs. Ensure that the handles are free of sharp edges. Wooden handles are varnished or waxed to give a smooth non-slip finish. Avoiding painting handles, this obscure defect. All chipped, scored or damaged hammer head must be thrown out. Replace cracked, chipped or loose handles. Never weld metal handles to hammer heads. Never use metal handles-they are too rigid and can jar and injure your hands.I have attached a couple of safety signs which may be useful.

Thanks,

Sam

Dear Mr. Sam
Thanks for your inputs into the thread... The paintings is good one and related to the subject...
Keep on sharing your expertise with us...
Looking forward to hear more views... Hope this is not a very minor topic which not deserves a discussion in this great forum...
Thanks in advance...

Dear Mr Dipil

I am sorry for replying late to your query. I am aware of your earlier query pertaining to priorities during assessment of victim in First Aid. I will very shortly write about that elaborately. For the time being i am attaching a PDF file specially prepared for you. Due to data constraints i am not able to include many of pictures which could have been of much help to you. I would like to advise here that please ensure that tools are in good conditions and it is more of a technical domain. Ensure that hammers used by the employees have cushioned handles and of good diameter. Cushioning will prevent many of jerks during application, since these jerks, and vibrations are major cause of Work related Musculo-Skeletal Injuries or WMSDs.

Please revert back for any further assistance.

Ravi Singh

Director- Elite Plus Training and Consultancy Solutions, HealthFirst Medicorp

9869118022

Advanced and Basic Life Support Training | First Aid Courses | India

Dear Dipil,
I came across a website <link no longer exists - removed> that gives good information on hammer safety.
Personally, I stopped using hammers with wooden handles & metal heads. I found that the wood always gets broken and at the connection with the metal head, one has often to put wedges so that the head does not come off. So I for opted for steel handles firmly connected to the head.

Dear Professionals
Please heed to what I am writing here. It is almost as sure as what Murphy's law states that if possibility of a mishap is there; it is bound to take place....let us try to remove the word called "Possibility". We speak a lot about our work our organization and so much of blah blah and thousands of hard to assimilate words and i call this mere lip service and nothing on the grounds. It does not require a person of Vishy Anand's caliber or a super computer to think about what are the repercussions of using faulty tools. Just imagine i mention here about the velocity at which a splinter ejects from the shell of a grenade i am sure people will start working on this...remember its not the velocity that we need to think but its the damage that a splinter causes to human body and this is what we need to pay attention to.
An object which is required to be hammered with should be nicely fixed and so the hammer in relation to its handle. Any moment a misdirected impact and the outcome will be a splinter or you call a missile which is surely gonna hit someone ( Not if workers are accustomed to working in Space all alone) and these things are very primitive let us take a pledge to keep our tools, and arms in good shape. You guys are advising your organization on so many fronts and organizations are ready to spend a good money why can't we ask for better quality of not only hammers but all the tools.
Remember in Hinduism we worship our tools on Lord Vishwakarma Day.....and we are the only one who don't improve on it.
Co-relate the injuries according to the size of tool, impact and distance of bystanders to hit him ( i am sure it is not amusing stuff)

Ravi Singh

The web site I was referring to was <link no longer exists - removed> and not vaughan manufacturing

Dear Sir

The website you refer containing very relevant write up regarding my query... Thanks for leading to such a good website...

I mainly come to the following colclusions from the website:

1. According to the professionals, the hammers with a hickory handle are best, next are the fiberglass, and then solid steel hammers when it comes to tiring and painful handle vibration. When looking at a wood handle, first make sure it is made of the finest, strongest wood; hickory. This type of handle should have a bell end to provide a secure grip during hard blows. The larger mid-section of the handle gives a good grip for light blows.

2. Hammer head of high carbon steel with correct hardening

3. Nice Quote "The most expensive hammer you can buy is the cheap hammer which can become a dangerous liability in its short lifespan. A quality hammer can be a lifetime investment."

4. The first consideration of any guy who knows his hammer is balance. The proper head-to-handle weight distribution is very important. When a hammer has good balance, it seems to swing itself. Good balance results in less stress on muscles and tendons, helping to eliminate common injuries associated with swinging a hammer.

5. . There is no such thing as a “universal” hammer, and users are well advised to use only tools that have been designed for the job.

Thanks once again for your inputs into this thread... Keep on sharing your expertise with us in future too...

Dear Sir
It's not a late reply... You give your valuable advice at the right time itself...
The pdf file on MSD's was very good... I have gone through it in detail... After that a very small doubt comes in my mind... During our annual/half yearly medical check up can we do any diagnosis/test to early identification of these MSDs... Like we are doing spirometry for assessing conditions such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)...
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us... Thanks for spending your valuable time in making a relevant presentation and share the same among us...
Keep on sharing your expertise in future too...