Companies in California and throughout the United States are required to take steps to prevent employee injuries. If you own a company, there is a series of steps you can take to ensure that your workers aren’t vulnerable to hand injuries such as a wrist sprain or losing a finger.

Start by eliminating hazards

Buying new equipment can be a great way to minimize or reduce the possibility of a hand injury. Alternatively, you can consider upgrading or modifying the equipment that you have in an effort to make it safer to use. It may also be a good idea to build physical barriers around machines to protect those who are in their vicinity.

Provide consistent training to your workers

Employees will need time to learn and understand your company’s safety guidelines. Those who have many years of experience benefit from ongoing training as they may develop bad habits that could increase their risk of getting hurt. You are encouraged to make a training course as engaging as possible to ensure that your people understand the implications of potentially losing a hand or a finger.

It is also important to make sure that workplace safety policies are sufficiently enforced. This could be done by punishing workers who don’t comply or by giving rewards to those who are actively striving to create a safer workplace.

Employees should be given protective gear

Your workers should be given gloves that can protect against cuts, humidity and other hazards that they face. New materials have allowed glove manufacturers to create products that are five times stronger than steel without being too heavy or bulky. This is important because workers won’t wear gloves if they feel awkward or make it harder to grip objects.

If an employee experiences an injury on the job, they may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. An attorney may be able to help a worker file a claim or track the status of an existing claim.