HEALTH & SAFETY Our hands are our wage earners. We all know and
appreciate how valuable our hands are, but do we appreciate how vulnerable they are? Our hands have always been there to catch us when we fall and they feed us when we are hungry. I have learned that just like any other part of my body, I need to take better care of my hands if I expect them to take care of me.
The Human Hand I am not a doctor, nor do I try to pass myself off as a wise man. I got most of the following information from Internet research. I learned enough from reading various reports to be able to ask fairly intelligent questions (at least I thought they were intelligent) to the doctors and nurses on my flight program and to understand their answers. The human body is a wonderful machine and I have always associated various body components and functions with actual parts of machinery. As a mechanic, I am able to understand the human body better in mechanical terms. Examples: Obviously, the brain is our main computer. The heart is a pump and our kidneys and liver are filters. The hand and wrist is comprised of 27 bones that are connected to muscles by tendons. Ligaments join bones together and hold the joints in place. Blood vessels supply nourishment to all these parts. Nerves convey sensations and help to control hand and finger movements. All of this is covered by skin. Protection of the skin will be my primary focus of this article.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and is made up
of three layers: the outermost epidermis, the middle layer dermis and the innermost hypodermis. The skin is an organ of protection, regulation and sensation. The outermost epidermis acts as a protective shell. Protection starts with the natural layer of oil that appears on the surface of the skin. It also contains the stratum corneum, a layer of tightly-packed cells that help protect our hands against harmful chemicals. We all know that the human body is made up of approximately 60 percent water and this layer protects against too much moisture loss. Temperature is regulated by the sweat glands in the skin by evaporation of moisture. Heat is expended evaporating the sweat from the skin. Nerve endings in the skin provide the sensations for feeling and muscle control. Our skin is a very complex organ and works miraculously to protect our bodies from the ravages of the world that we live in. Then why am I in such pain? Considering what we mechanics put our hands through, it’s no wonder. As I said earlier, the outermost layer of the skin acts
as a barrier to prevent infection potential allergens from penetrating the skin. Its Ph is slightly acidic which can help to neutralize the de-greasing agents that are in soaps, which are alkaline. Excessive use of soaps and some detergents can destroy the acidity and de-fat the surface skin and, therefore, the protection it offers. Wow — this is what we do to our hands just to get the really nasty stuff
off of them. It’s no secret — we are aware of how toxic and corrosive the chemicals that we work with are. The government and our employers have been warning us for years to use precautions, but do we listen? I hate to admit it, but in the 1970s I used to clean
aircraft parts with MEK bare handed. Of course I thought I was invincible back in the day. I wore my scars and dry skin as a badge of honor. I didn’t worry about my working mans’ hands. Boy, was I stupid. My hands grew rougher and tougher and I merely endured the pain as part of the risk of my occupation. I sacrificed my hands for my profession. Sacrifices like that were myths that were practiced by igno- rant people and those sacrifices never did us any good. Aircraft mechanics work in hostile environments and
must always be alert. What are some of the other hazards to which we subject our hands?
• Mechanical hazards from tools, machines, equipment, structures and operating aircraft. Work at your own pace and don’t rush or take shortcuts. Know how to handle the tools and equipment you work with. Wrenches should fit nuts and bolts properly. It is very dangerous to wear rings or other jewelry around machinery.
• Heat and cold. Burns to the hands can be caused by exhaust pipes, sparks, steam, hot liquids, welding and molten metals. Even extreme cold can cause burns as from servicing Liquid Oxygen (LOX). Your hands and fingers turn numb at -15 degrees Celsius, which can increase the risks of accidents.
• Risks of infection. Especially in the EMS environment, hands exposed to materials contaminated by microbes can become infected. For example, tetanus and Hepatitis C are infections that can be transmitted through hand wounds. Check the date of your last tetanus immunization. Hepatitis C immunization is especially important for HEMS mechanics.
Common Hand Injuries What are some of the types of hand injuries that occur and how do they happen?
• Strains and sprains. These injuries occur when the muscles and ligaments that hold the joints in place are bruised, pulled or torn. These injuries often occur when lifting heavy objects or from reaching out to break a sudden fall.
• Fractures. Fractures occur in what are referred to as “hand traps” such as wheels, pulleys and rollers, or when the hand strikes a hard object.
• Crush injuries. Crush injuries damage deep tissues and bones. They occur when your hand is caught between two solid parts that strike each other, such as falling objects, drawers and doors.
June | July 2016
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