Rank: New forum user 
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Hi,
In my organisation staff often use scalpels as part of their work (cutting plants). We get a lot of cut fingers and hands from careless use of scalpels. We can't eliminate the use of scalpels so I don't know what to do about it. Thankfully we have very good first aid provision and many trained and certified first aiders. However I would prefer to prevent the injuries rather than treat them! Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Hi Rowe,
I can foresee a lot of responses questioning why your using scapels so to help reduce that a bit, am I correct in assuming that you are 'Grafting'?
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Rank: New forum user
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It may sound a bit daft, but the best way to stop them cutting themselves it to get them to stop putting their fingers near the blades, this is what they are doing after all.
Like you have said, careless use. BUT.
You need to look into why they are doing this. Is it a requirement of their job to put their hands close to the blade?
Is it due to the equipment or the way the work is set up?
Ask them how they are cutting themselves - you should be doing this anyway in the incident investigation - and look for a real cause, not a simple 'I was not being careful'. Why were they not being careful?? Is there a reason their hands are in the way of the blades?
If you can identify and sort this you will be much closer to the answer.
PPE is the last resort although do bear in mind the dermatitis risk associated with floristry, some form of cut resistant, dextrous and impermeable glove may prove useful?
Hope this helps.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Rowe,
More detail on the task would help. Fixtures/clamps/guides or slides are always better than fingers. The base on which you cut is significant, as is the type & size of blade (there are lots!) and the design of the scalpel "stock". Is this "piece work", or otherwise time constrained?
Adequate task lighting, vision aids (magnifiers) can help or hinder, dependant on skills and apptitude.
Like it or lump it, it does seem that the female of the species is generally better at this type of 'close' work - particularly where tasks are repetitive.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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On joining my present company there were over a dozen scalpel injuries a year. At the end of 2009 there was a record low of 3. This was achieved (I hope) thu' several in house training courses on various subjects but always emphizing clause 7+8 of HASAWA.
I believe the 3 recorded were tooo big to hide. I'm now chasing the unreported nicks.
How many cuts are you looking at for 2009?
Badger
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi,
Agree with all that has been said above - when in the past I needed to use a scalpel regularly, cutting plastic insulation, I found wearing a chainmail glove on the left hand and holding the scalpel with the right and it seems obvious but always always cutting away from any part of the body worked well for me.
Steve
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Rank: New forum user
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Hi everyone,
To be more precise the work the staff do is scientific research. So it might not mean much to folk if I describe what they were doing. The last cut finger was from cutting out bands of PCR agarose gel, another incident was from 'emasculating flowers'. The scalpel work is either done in a laboratory or a glasshouse.
Due to the nature of the work chainmail gloves wouldn't be suitable and clamps aren't possible either.
Thanks for all your responses I will take all your comments into consideration as I carry out the investigations.
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Rank: Forum user
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Mate surely they are only holding the scalpal with one hand and cutting the other, so the question is, how do you stop the hand holding the item, if chain mail gloves are not feesable, is there not an implement that they could use to hold the subject material, thus expanding the distance between the scalpal and hand.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rowe
Q: How improtant is sensitivity to touch? I came across a tape that can prvent cuts, unfortunatley our people need to be able to pick up very small part so it couldn't be used but may help you. It looks a bit like a elastoplaster to wrap around the finger and thinking about it normal plasters may do a similar job to some degree.
Badger
Where the spill chuker??????????????????
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Rank: Forum user 
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Gel electrophoresis - I've done it more times than I care to remember.
Take time and concentrate and there is no reason to cut oneself unless being particularly careless - but betware the idiots who leave used blades lying around the workbench or elsewhere in the lab, there are more of them than you might imagine! Some of the work may be done in a working coldroom so make sure lighting is good - though you have to be particularly dumb for that to be the causes, just take extra care - and that there is sufficient bench space to work carefully.
If the work is done in a coldroom, what are the work patterns? Are they rushing becuas eits too cold? Give them a jacket, or reorganise the work where possible to create a diffeent shedule.
Other work may be done under UV in a photo-lightbox. This is more difficult as the need to protect against UV means working with hands inside the rigid cover of the lightbox which is a bit tricky for some. Get a good seat, adjustable to accommodate everyone, to make it unnecessary to overstretch or stoop.
Nitrile or latex gloves must be worn for technical as well as safety reasons - are they good quality and the correct size?
Are people overburdened with work and rushing, or working in cramped conditions? Good lighting etc is necessarry but for gels the work will be on top of a lightbox so is rarely an issue - but beware of working in a coldroom/darkroom or in a light box (above).
It seems that there is really no good reason to expect a cut when cutting out bands from a gel unless any of the above apply, or perhaps someone in the lab taught all of the others to do it in a way that is unusual and dangerous - though for the life of my I can't think what that would be.
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Rank: Super forum user
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There are some thin cut resistant gloves made from a material called Dyneema. Some of these give very good dexterity. Some have PU coating on finger tips, palms, etc. This provides better grip. They are not as effective as chain mail but I have found them to provide an acceptable answer for several clients.
Chris
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Rank: Forum user 
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In my organisation we handle small glass appules. We were receiving a large amount of cuts to fingers and hands. Tried to eliminate and reduce the use of the ampules but this proved to be too difficult. we did some research and found a thin glove made from a Kevlar weave which had a cut resistance of 5. The glove is thin and the operators still have a high level of dexterity whilst using the gloves. We have amlost elininated this type of injury withing the business.
PM me if you want more info on the gloves.
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Rank: Forum user
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Nice thoughts guys, but for those working in molecular biology your ideas are probably very wide of the mark and teh suggestions must be appropriate for the users application.
Dexterity is important of course, but so is cost. DNA work will require many changes of gloves to avoid cross-contamination and nitrile or latxex is the norm. More expensive gloves of the type you both suggest would be of no help as the cost for possibly dozens of pairs per person per day would be impossible to sustain.
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