SAFETY MATTERS – State of Delaware Issue CCXXXII MAY 2026
Date Posted: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025Your hands are irreplaceable
Think about everything you did with your hands today — before you even got to work. They are the most used tools in almost any job, and the most frequently injured. Nearly 400,000 hand injuries occur in American workplaces every year, according to the National Safety Council,
accounting for roughly 30 percent of all workplace injuries. The average workers’ compensation claim for a hand injury runs about
$13,000. That’s before accounting for the recovery time, the lost wages, and the permanent consequences that can follow.
The most important statistic in hand safety is not the number of injuries. It’s this: 80 percent of workplace hand injuries happen to workers who were not wearing gloves at the time of the accident. Not workers who didn’t have gloves. Workers who had gloves — and weren’t wearing
them. The reasons are familiar: the task seemed quick, the gloves were uncomfortable, it didn’t seem worth the bother. Thirty seconds of that
reasoning accounts for the majority of 400,000 injuries. The hands most at risk belong to newer workers — about 40 percent of hand injuries involve employees with less than one year on the job. And the tasks most likely to cause injury aren’t dramatic ones. About 70 percent of hand injuries happen during routine maintenance or inspection work, not high-hazard operations. The rule is simple enough to fit on a sign: if your hands are near work, the gloves go on first. Every time. Not almost every time. Every time.
Article appears courtesy of PagesMag.com
MAY IS WATER SAFETY MONTH
- LEARN TO SWIM
- ADULT SUPVERVISION
- WEAR A LIFE JACKET
- BE WATER SMART
STAY SAFE AROUND WATER!
KEY POOL SAFETY TIPS:
- Have someone watching without distractions
- Maintain functioning fences and gates
- Limited the number of inflatables
- Remove toys when not in use
- Learn to swim
- Empty portable pools after use
- Check the drains
- Learn CPR
- Provide adult supervision
- Practice what to do in an emergency
SAFETY FOCUS
Tips for a Successful Safety Recognition Program
• Management Commitment – Ensure that there is commitment from senior management, including sufficient funds, available time for planning, implementing, and administering the program.
• Planning Committee – Create a program planning staff and form a safety committee. Develop a written program plan with a clear mission and determine goals, budget, awards, and recognition.
• Involve Employees – Ask them what types of recognition feels meaningful and what types of behaviors should be rewarded. Make them part of the program design.
• Focus on Rewarding Safe Behaviors – Stay away from simply tracking the number of accidents, your goal is to create a positive safety culture. You want to increase participation in safety training, increase reporting of hazards and near misses, recognize and reinforce safe actions and behaviors.
• Track the Right Indicators – Know that rewarding “No Accidents” or “No Injuries” can be counterproductive by discouraging reporting. Using metrics that track hazard identification and reporting, participation in safety programs, following safe practices, completing safety
observations and audits, and suggesting improvements, help create real cultural changes.
• Awards and Rewards – These can be tricky, staying with moderate to lower priced awards are usually the way to go. Agency swag in the form of tee shirts, jackets, and hats, along with safety program plagues with logos or decals can help advertise your safety program
and goals. Expensive rewards can generate unintended negative competition between workers.
• Get the Word Out – Communicate the program details and information every chance you get through newsletters, agency communications, bulletin boards, and during meetings and company events.
