Sharp forced injuries like stab, cut and chop wounds are caused by:
Employees in a hurry, taking short cuts or not following safety procedures.
Failure to wear cut-resistant gloves or wearing improper gloves for job.
Contact with metal items such as nails, metal stock or burrs.
Hand tools with blades (e.g., knives, box cutters, screwdrivers, chisels).
Powered machinery with cutting blades, pinch points, chain and sprocket, conveyor belts, rotating parts, motors, presses, lathes.
Handling sharp objects glass, sheet metal.
Improper tool for the job or tool used improperly.
Tools in poor condition.
Missing or improperly adjusted guarding.
Poor housekeeping, clutter, debris.
Poor lighting, reduced visibility.
Improper Training.
STATS
Approximately 30 percent of all workplace injuries involve cuts or lacerations, and about 70 percent of those injuries are to the hands or fingers.
The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that over 120,000 hand injuries occurred in 2019.
83% of those hand injuries were caused by lacerations, cuts, and punctures.
27% of machinery injuries are lacerations.
56% of injuries caused by cutting tools are lacerations and cause 5 lost days from work.
Being struck by a falling object or a cut from a hand knife accounts for over 10% of major injuries reported to HSE in the food and drink industries alone.
Hand knife injuries typically account for between 25-50% of all lost time accidents in the plastics processing industry (HSE/Plastics Processors H&S Liaison Committee).
58% of all workplace accidents involving manual tools were caused by knives.