Aref
Aref has been part of EDC’s field crew for the past few years. He has been a firm believer that safety is NOT a priority. Instead, all that really mattered was getting the job done as quickly as possible. To him, those who gave importance to safety precautions were merely inexperienced enough or new hires. If planning a task will be time consuming, he would rather take the easiest way to do it regardless of the risks. He was often advised to consider safety measures more often to avoid injuries, but he believed that those who injured themselves were simply not good enough‌ and HE was good enough and smart enough to do things right regardless of the risks present. He has witnessed several injuries in his line of work and always thought that this would never happen to him. Until that day he witnessed the injury of his all-time best friend who has been as good and as experienced as he was. Aref accompanied his friend to the hospital and watched in horror as the medics took control of the situation. And even though the medical response was as quick as it could be, the damages were irrevocable. He watched as his friend’s family received the news of the incident and the impact of it on
their lives. The anguish and sorrow in their eyes was etched in Aref’s mind forever. That night, Aref’s dreams were haunted by the images of the incident. But this time, everything was happening to him. He felt the pain of the injury himself. He saw his own blood flowing and his own battered body. He watched the pain on his wife’s face and felt his family’s future at stake. He saw his life and career slip away as if it never happened. But luckily, it was a nightmare that passed by the warm rays of a new day. A day that Aref promised himself would be a turning point in his life. He has finally decided to learn more about safety, assessing risks and taking precautions. From that day on Aref considered what his own safety really meant. It was not just his future at stake; it was his family and children’s future as well. Today, Aref is taking the lead in creating a safety work environment for him and his colleagues every day and his experience will always be a reminder that being safe is better than sorry.
A Fact of Life JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DO IN OUR LIVES REQUIRES US TO USE OUR HANDS. THIS MAKES THEM POTENTIALLY AT RISK MORE THAN ANY OTHER PART OF THE BODY.
THINK Skin, Bones, Muscles, Tendons and Nerves.. If you put them all together What do you get? One of the most amazing pieces of engineering you could ever imagine.....
The pain and suffering that results due to hand injuries may last for a few seconds to a life time, yet we can prevent even the minor ones.. Think about the time you have had hand injuries yourself. To know how to protect your hands you need to know what the main types of hazards that might cause injuries are, such as: 1. Mechanical hazards 2. Chemical hazards 3. Impact cuts 4. Heat, cold and fire hazards 5. Electricity 6. Infection and hygiene hazards And the most common reason for having hand and finger injuries is YOU by cutting corners, taking short cuts and accepting risks. To ensure proper protection of your hands and fingers you have to identify the hazards and assess the risks before getting your hands onto the job. Giving yourself the time to do that, will give you the ability to identify the proper precautions and the kind of protection you need.
There are a lot of ways to protect your hands and fingers, starting with following procedures such as isolation of equipment, doing proper SJA’s and risk assessments, avoid getting your hands in pinch points. familiarizing yourself with the jobs you are doing and the hazards associated, using the right hand tools and equipment, and ending up with using the proper PPE and gloves.  If you think about it, it’s your decision whether to protect your hands or not, as almost all hand and finger injuries could be prevented, by just using common sense.
EDC is providing several types of gloves to be used for different jobs. Remember, PPE and gloves are the last line of defense. The types of gloves in EDC standards: 1. Cotton Gloves: For general use, it gives limited protection against abrasions ,general wear and tear on your hand. 2. Brown Nitrile Gloves: For general use in Oil Based Mud environment. Â
3. Maintenance Gloves: For maintenance crew as it allows more sensitive handling of small items (such as bolts and nuts) and gives limited protection against abrasions, tear and wear.
4. Rubber Gloves: For mixing and handling of chemicals. Inspect your gloves prior to every use to make sure there are no holes or cuts to prevent any chemical leakage. Always clean them after use and store them properly to prevent any chemical from leaking inside.Make sure there are no gaps between the gloves and your sleeves. Don’t touch any part of your body while wearing these gloves. Avoid using tools and equipment (switches, handles...etc.) to avoid contaminating them.
5. Chain-mail Gloves: For cutting and boning in the kitchen. It gives protection against cuts, abrasions and punctures. 6. Impact Gloves: For use while handling pipes, BHA, heavy tools and equipment.
7. Thermal Gloves: For welding and operations involving high temperature. It gives protection against heat and hot surfaces. 8. Electrically insulated Nonconductive gloves: For working with high voltages.
Some Causes of Injuries: 1. Pinch Points during handling or positioning of heavy equipment. Beware of moving parts in order not to get your hands or fingers trapped or crushed.
2. Working on equipment/machinery without isolation! Think what might happen if someone switched it on while your hands are inside.
3. Getting your hands snagged while spooling wires. Be careful that broken strands on a wire can easily pull your hands into the spooling drum.
4. Equipment rotating at high speed may appear stationary. Also it might not be noticed if the lighting is flickering. Always make sure that guards are in place for any rotating or moving machinery, and never wear loose clothes or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) , or carry loose ended items them. Remember; jewelry could easily be snagged.
5. The use of defective tools could easily cause pinch points.The use of worn out spanners is one of the most common causes of pinch points if it slips. The same could happen when using worn out screw drivers, hammers, files, chisels‌etc.Did you have a similar experience while using one of those??? Was it painful??
Always think about yourself, your family and your colleagues. Give yourself time to assess and plan your job. - Take the time you need to check your tools. - Take the time you need to isolate equipment before working on it. - Take the time you need to get the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). - Take the time you need to do the job right, don’t take short cuts. - Take the time you need to replace worn or damaged tools. - Take the time you need to change worn or damaged gloves. - Take the time you need to understand the job you are doing. It might take a minute or two may be more, but it will prevent you and your family from having lifetime of pain.