Safety

Keeping Your Grip

April 19, 2021

Tips to keep your hands healthy and strong

The human hand is a marvel. Its opposing thumb and other features allow you to do many things that only humans can do.

What if the joints in your hands begin to hurt with only the slightest exertion? Holding a screwdriver, once so simple and natural for you, becomes difficult at best.

Chronic stress on joints, bones, and ligaments of the hand, wrist, and elbow can result in debilitating conditions such as arthritis. Avoiding stress on these structures can delay or prevent that. Follow these tips:

Don’t use parts of your hands to tap a chisel, wrench, etc. Use a hammer.
Avoid pulling hard with your fingers. Use pliers or small pry bars.
When lifting an object, get as many fingers and as much of your hand as you can on it. Two fingers instead of one cuts the stress per finger in half.
Avoid prolonged or repeated use of heavily vibrating tools. Can you use another tool or method to accomplish the same task with less vibration?

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.