Qteq’s Goal of Reducing Hand Injuries Started with Gloves, but Concluded with a Simple Solution
When Qteq launched a program to reduce hand injuries they started with the obvious: Gloves. With several injuries occurring due to punctured gloves, they concentrated on improvements to their line of personal protective equipment (PPE). They tested a variety of brands and models of gloves but found that regardless of the gloves they tried, they were being worn through quickly which increased costs, waste, and risk of injury.
What if the Gloves Aren’t the Problem?
When Qteq realized that all of the gloves they tested were developing tears, their investigation changed focus to look at the materials being handled by the gloves. They quickly realized that some staff were wearing through gloves faster than others.
The focus turned to the banding product. Qteq was using 100-foot coils of 201 stainless steel which they would cut to size with pneumatic jaws. When they examined the cut band they noticed the jaws left extremely sharp points and edges that would easily tear and rip gloves, clothes, and skin. When installing 1000’s of bands every week, Qteq realized that injuries were not a question of “if”, but “when”.
Switch to Pre-Cut Bands
Qteq approached BAND-IT for a solution to the sharp edges that were the result of cutting roll band to length. The solution? Switching to pre-cut BAND-FAST with seals since the pre-cut bands had a smoother finished edge than the bands cut to length on-site. While the bands were more expensive to purchase, the benefits were immediate.
- Zero hand injuries since the switch to the new banding with more than 300,000 units installed safely.
- 30% reduction in glove wear rate due to the reduced abrasion in the pre-cut clamp.
- Less hand fatigue and 20 minutes removed from every installation
