# Protecting your hands

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/hand-protection
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Your hands do almost every task on this job, and they are close to every blade, pinch point, and chemical we use. A cut, crush, or burn can keep you off work for weeks or change how you work for life. This week, let's be deliberate about protecting them.

## Key points

1. Match the glove to the job: cut-resistant for sheet metal and glass, leather for rebar and rough material, chemical gloves for concrete, solvents, and adhesives.
2. Check your gloves before you put them on. If they have holes, worn spots, or are soaked through, get a new pair.
3. Keep your hands out of pinch points. Watch where your fingers are when setting material, closing gates, or guiding a load, and use a tag line or push stick instead of your hand.
4. Never remove or tie back a guard on a saw or grinder. Unplug or lock out the tool before changing a blade, bit, or clearing a jam.
5. Cut away from your body and your other hand, and use a sharp, retractable utility knife.
6. Do not wear gloves, rings, or loose sleeves around drill presses or other rotating parts that can catch and pull your hand in.
7. Wash concrete and chemicals off your skin right away, and report every cut or burn so it gets cleaned and treated.

## Talk it over

- What task on our site right now puts your hands at the most risk?
- Do you have the right gloves for what you're doing today, and are they in good shape?
- Where have you seen a pinch point or a missing guard, and how do we fix it?

> **Remember:** Think before you reach: right gloves, guards on, fingers clear.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.95](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.95) — Criteria for personal protective equipment

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.