Hold the cup !

Safety is one's own cup of tea! To relish the cup of tea, one should be able to hold the cup in their hands which are to be kept Injury free. Also, it's quite metaphorical to say that one's fate lies safe in their own hands - this is literally true! Go to a palmist, and he reads out through your palm lines to assess your fate - for which your hands are to be kept Injury free.

We constantly use our hands to express themselves as well as to engage in varied manual activities throughout the day. Sizeable attention needs to be given to every physical stretch of the hand – be it the grip on a knife that’s used to chop vegetables or the clench of fists around a hammer.

Our daily yet simple routines involve multiple hand motions to perform a designated task. A simple example that accentuates the importance of hands to us – ‘tying up shoelaces’ by tucking the thumbs inward (or) – Not so simple… Right? That’s the power of thumbs up !

Hand injuries are caused mainly due to absent mindedness, fatigue in performing a task, lack of awareness / expertise, hyperactivity (over-enthusiasm) and deviation from safety protocols

Some routine activities in our household / workplace that needs adherence to safe practices are as follows:

Ø  Screwdrivers

Ensure that the right form and size of the screwdrivers are used. The workpiece needs to be placed on a flat surface while using the screwdriver. Exertion of force on the workpiece by the drive needs

Ø  Knives

Use the knife away from the body – recommended to use foldable knife wherein the sharp / cutting edge is sheathed when not in use. The knife shouldn’t be used as a screwdriver – right tool for the right purpose!

Ø  Hammers

Used to impart an impact force on the workpiece which is usually a nail / rivet. Check the handle of the hammer for loose fits and make sure that the striking is done using vices / supports on the workpiece instead of using the other hand. Use gloves with the appropriate friction to ensure that the hammer doesn’t fall off

While working with hands, ensure that there are no accessories such as rings / bracelets which may hinder with the tools and result in secondary cuts.

Most importantly, wash your hands frequently with solvents / soaps to ensure that there’s no contamination – which may get ingested.

In general, injuries occur either due to the wrong usage of the right tool or the usage of a wrong tool

There's never a shortcut to perform things the right way. Short cuts can lead to "short cuts" ! So, whenever you don't know, please be bold enough to say "NO"

Apart from the regular precautions, a few exercises on hands builds strength and helps recovery from repeated motions. Stretch of the thumb, fingers and wrists periodically could help in in this regard

So better late than never – protect your hands to pick up your pay cheque. The best target that's achieved is '0' harm!