Hand Protection is a Good Deal
There are a number of hazards your hands encounter every day on the job. Here are a few examples.

There are a number of hazards your hands encounter every day on the job. Here are a few examples.

On average, approximately 500 workers younger than 24 years of age die from work related injuries every year, and more than 800,000 are treated for nonfatal injuries in hospital emergency departments each year. While their injuries and illnesses might be similar, young workers face a different set of risk factors than older, more experienced workers.

The tornado season in North America begins in April, peaks in June and July, and ends in September. But really the storms can occur at any time, with approximately 1,000 tornadoes being reported in the United States and 80 in Canada each year.

Portable electric-powered tools can be indispensable. They can also be deadly. Each year, thousands of construction workers are injured using these otherwise handy tools.

How This Affects You: Your back is used in all you do, on and off the job, and hurting it can have severe consequences: a lifetime of pain, inability to work or play and reduced income.

Chemicals enter the body in a number of different ways. A chemical can be absorbed by the skin, inhaled, ingested or through a puncture like a needle. Once in the body, chemicals are circulated by
Many people require professional help to prevent short-term shock from turning into something more serious and longer lasting - post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Things are constantly changing in many areas of people?s lives. Your job likely sees a lot of change, where new methods of doing things are introduced, potentially affecting your safety and health.
Too much noise can cause permanent hearing loss. It develops gradually and without pain, but noise-induced hearing loss cannot be reversed.
How This Affects You: Every year thousands of employees are injured in falls from ladders.

A back injury can begin a lifetime of pain, inability to work or play, reduced income and unhappy dealings with medical agencies.
We all know that illegal drugs such as marijuana or cocaine are hazardous to use. We also know that alcohol is prohibited at work because it is, obviously, intoxicating. But did you know that many other drugs that we take for granted can also affect your ability to do your job safely?

They carry you through heat or cold, wet and slippery conditions. Your feet are also at risk from falling construction materials and equipment. No wonder wearing approved steel-toed boots can be required on the job.
How This Affects You: You can be seriously injured by using common workplace tools incorrectly.

Compressed air can make short work of everything from changing tires to nailing and stapling, but its power demands respect.
Bloodborne pathogens are infectious agents that can cause illness and death.

Laboratories harbor fire and explosion hazards, and radiation hazards. There may be high-powered equipment which could cause cuts, entanglement or electrocution. There also could be biohazardous materials which can cause fatal diseases.
Tools using compressed air can be worth their weight in gold. Handled properly, they save a lot of sweating, grunting and possibly swearing.
How This Affects You: Workplace violence can happen to anyone, even you.

Is there a manhole to a sewage system near your workplace, or an underground vault for an electrical system? Any boiler, tunnel, well, silo, shaft or poorly ventilated crawl space can be a potentially dangerous confined space.
Today, heart disease and stroke take one life every 7 minutes and 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor.

The hazards associated with compressed gas include oxygen displacement, fires, explosions, toxic effects from certain gases, reactivity and projectile concerns.

Employees often work shifts that consist of many more consecutive hours or days than the average worker in this country. Additionally, people working the night shift are often faced with hazardous work that is deliberately
How This Affects You: The air around you keeps you alive.

WHAT'S AT STAKE Workers in almost every work environment are [...]