A PRACTICAL FIELD GUIDE FOR PLANT SAFETY TEAMS

Where Does The Hand Enter
The Hazard?™

Before procedures. Before PPE. Before the next toolbox talk — ask this question first. This guide shows ordinary safety personnel, supervisors and engineers how to answer it, task by task, without needing a hand-safety specialist in the room.

Worker
Hand
Hazard
Start here↓
00
Before Anything Else

Ask one question before you talk about injuries, PPE or procedures.

Stop and ask: "Where does the hand enter the hazard?" Every hand injury starts the same way — a hand goes into a pinch point, a crush point, a load path, a line of fire, or a moving mechanism. Find that entry point first, and you've found exactly where to act. Everything else in this guide simply helps you answer that one question, task by task.

01
What This Takes

You only need three things to start.

No specialist equipment, no consultant visit. Stand where the worker stands and collect this much.

1. A photo
One picture of the task, taken from roughly where the worker stands.
2. The task description
What the worker is actually doing, in plain words — not a procedure name.
3. The hand entry point
Where, exactly, the hand goes in. This is the one that matters most.
Example: hand entry circled in redMarked
02
Step 1 of 7

What is the worker trying to do?

We're assessing the task — not the worker. Pick the action that best matches what's happening in front of you.

Lift
Move
Guide
Position
Align
Seat
Release
Rig
Unrig
Hammer
Insert Pin
Retrieve
Maintain
03
Step 2 of 7

Where does the hand enter?

Look at the task and find the exact spot the hand goes into. These seven entry points cover most industrial work.

Hand between load and structureEntry
Hand between two mating componentsEntry
Hand under suspended loadEntry
Hand at hook and slingEntry
Hand at bolt holeEntry
Hand at pin alignmentEntry
Hand inside machineEntry
04
Step 3 of 7

What could hurt the hand at that point?

Match the entry point to the way it could actually injure the hand.

Pinch
Caught between two closing surfaces.
Crush
Caught under or against weight.
Strike
Hit by a moving object.
Swing
Caught by something swinging free.
Rotation
Caught by something turning.
Falling Object
Hit by something dropping.
Line of Fire
Caught in the path something could travel.
Sharp Edge
Cut or caught on an edge.
05
Step 4 of 7

What is being handled?

Shape changes which control works best. Pick the closest match.

Flat Plate
Beam
Pipe
Cylinder
Coil
Bundle
Fabrication
Counterweight
Machine Component
06
Step 5 of 7

Can a magnet be used?

One question decides this. Keep it simple.

Is the component steel?
YES
Magnetic options possible
NO
Mechanical interface required
07
Step 6 of 7

How close is the worker?

Distance is often the easiest way to reduce exposure. Mark where the worker actually stands today — not where they should stand.

Touching1 ft2 ft4 ft6 ft8 ft
08
Step 7 of 7

Select the control method — not the tool yet.

Don't jump to a product. First choose the type of control this task actually needs.

Distance Creation
A tool extends the hand away from the hazard.
Load Guidance
A tool guides the load while the hand stays clear.
Positioning & Alignment
Two components are brought into line without a hand between them.
Sling Handling
A tool sits between the hand and the sling or hook.
Retrieval & Reach
A tool reaches into a tight gap so the hand never has to.
Final Positioning Control
The last few inches are controlled by the tool, not the fingers.
09
Worked Example

One task, fully mapped.

Counterweight installation — walked through all seven steps in under two minutes on the floor.

Between counterweight and chassisEntry
TaskCounterweight Installation
Hand EntryBetween counterweight & chassis
HazardCrush
GeometryLarge fabricated steel component
MagneticYes
Distance Required4–6 ft
Control MethodPositioning & Alignment
10
Take This To The Floor

Plant Walk Worksheet

One worksheet per task. Five to ten of these is enough to start seeing patterns across a unit.

Task Name
Photoattach photo
Hand Entry Point
Hazard Type
Distance
Geometry
Control Method
Comments

A blank, print-ready version of this worksheet is included in the A4 edition of this guide.

After You've Mapped 5–10 Tasks

What happens next

01
Improve procedures
02
Identify engineering controls
03
Trial exposure-reduction methods
04
Reduce hand entries into hazard zones

Every hand injury investigation asks: "What happened?"

This framework asks: "Where did the hand enter?"

Ask the second question first.