Recently one of our guys was using an electric drill to drill holes through an angle iron. The drill bit grabbed and spun the handle and body of the drill. There was a scaffold leg right next to the drill and when it spun, it smashed the employee’s hand between the scaffold leg and the drill. The impact was so strong that it broke a bone in the man’s hand.

There are several things we can learn from this injury:

• Avoid pinch points. Whenever possible do the drilling in an area with nothing around to be smashed against or between. If it is impossible to avoid an obstruction you can brace the scaffold against the obstruction to start with.
• Stay extremely aware of work. Listen to sound of motor, feel the force of the drilling so that at the slightest change you can be prepared to let go of the trigger and hold on to the drill and if the drill binds and begins to spin the handle you can let the handle go if it seems too much force hold on to it.
• Don’t push too hard. This is the main cause of binding.
• Use sharp bits. This will help the tool to work as it should and you won’t have to push so hard.

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