This article was published in the April 2007 edition of ISHN "More to Safety than Meets the Knives" By Michel Halbaut, safety and ergonomics consultant with QualiCut

When talking about safety knives, it seems that much has been said about the do’s and don’ts. Yet, some topics are taken for granted that are essential to understanding what safety really means when talking about knives.

This article was published in the April edition of ISHN and is reproduced here courtesy of ISHN and its author. Qualicut is an innovative new player in the field of cutting tools, trying to bridge the traditional gaps between industrial and utility on one hand and safety and ergonomy on the other hand.

Its mottos is :"High performance cutting tools with safety and ergonomy naturally built-in". Safety knife or not : Beware of the fallacy of safety First, the concept of a totally safe knife is a fallacy, and potentially a dangerous thing to promote without proper qualifiers.

There is no such thing as a 100-percent safe cutting tool. A safety knife is still a knife; the safety feature has yet to be designed that can replace the sense of responsibility that must accompany the use of any cutting tool.

This is especially true if a knife’s safety features give the end user a false sense of security. Safety knife : It is all about blade..... But look beyond the blade Beefing up safety in a knife means looking beyond the blade. When talking about knives, the blade is a favorite topic. Because lacerations are visible, blades and lacerations get the most attention. Indeed, it is during blade changes where most cuts occur, so if blade changes are easy you can avoid many cuts. Blade quality also is of major importance.

You should use the best blade money can buy for your application – the longer the blade life, the less time lost to blade changes and fewer injuries. You might think a sharper blade is more dangerous. But a dull blade actually is a catalyst for cuts. As workers push, pull, and use unnatural movements or extreme force to work the dull blade, they are at a greater risk of slipping, bringing potential damage to the worker and the product he or she is handling.

As well as sharp, a blade should be suited for the material you are cutting. Many jobs require the use of a blade, but if all you are doing is tearing open tape, a much safer option is a tape splitter without a blade. Safety knife : fitting the user is priority No 1 : Not to be overlooked in the discussion of safety knives is the focus on ergonomics. Ergonomics in safety knives goes beyond the use of nice grips. More relevant are the answers to the following questions: Does my cutting tool foster a natural movement., i.e., a movement that will not create stress and, over time, a repetitive motion injury? Will my cutting tool be an extension of my hand and forearm, something that works with me and optimizes my movements.

For example, knives operated with thumb sliders are everywhere; the slider seems to have become the standard way to engage a blade. Yet, when used extensively, one realizes the up and down thumb movement needed to engage the blade is uncomfortable. In fact, it is not a natural movement to repeatedly slide the thumb forward and backwards. A more ergonomic design being popularized engages the blade by clenching the palm while holding the knife, thus spreading the exerted force across the hand. Safety knife : Don’t forget that, in the end, it is all about performance When workers are reluctant to begin using a new safety knife, it is not always simply due to their resistance to change.

A number of built-in safety features have come with performance tradeoffs, which can result in less efficient or unnecessary movements. When a number of employees are trying to circumvent the safety features of your cutting tool or resist using it, you may want to pay attention and answer the question: is performance adversely impacted by the safety features? Sadly, we may have come to accept that safety must come at a price in terms of convenience, form and function, the same way we seem to accept long lines and confusion at airport security checkpoints in the name of safety. Just as some airports are currently implementing solutions that will ease the chaos at security checkpoints, and make us even safer, a new generation of smartly designed safely knives don’t compromise performance, but rather, they enhance it.

What distinguishes these cutting tools is that they have pushed the envelope to such an extent that safety and function are a natural fit. Ergonomics, efficiency and safety do not seem to always go hand-in-hand, but better materials and design can make for much less compromise when selecting your safety knives.

About the author: Michel Halbaut is a safety and ergonomics consultant with Minneapolis-based QualiCut, a division of TVI USA Inc. Call (612) 341-0100, or visit www.qualicut.net - www.safetyknives.net

Topics covered in this post : safety knife - box cutter - ergonomic knife