By Amine :

Contact stress is closely related to soft tissue injuries and can be defined as something that happens when a force is concentrated on a small area of the body, usually extremities, pinching and crushing tissue.

HOW DO YOU EXPERIENCE CONTACT STRESS

You encounter contact stress when the edge of work surfaces dig into your forearms or wrists, when ridges and hard edges on tools dig into your hand, when you use your hand, feet or knees as tools, when you carry heavy equipment and material without the necessary hand protection. Often steel erectors working at height suffer contact injuries to their knees because of friction with the material they are working on.

HOW TO AVOID THESE TYPES OF INJURIES

Protect yourself from the sharp edges of tools, equipment and work stations by ensuring they are properly padded and have softeners.
  • Avoid using the palm of your hand as tool- brick layers often use their hands to knock bricks into line.
  • Provide steel erectors or roof workers with adequate knee padding to reduce the impact of contact on their knees.
  • Always ensure tools have suitable handles and refrain from using make shift tools as these is often the source of unnecessary stress.

OTHER PREVENTITIVE SUGGESTIONS
  • Eliminate contact stress by re-designing work stations, especially out in the field.
  • Avoid resting against equipment and material which could have sharp edges. Barricade and restrict access to these types of areas.
  • If an individual must work with material with sharp edges or handle material that has sharp edges then pad the edges or ensure suitable hand protection is provided.
  • Spread contact forces over a greater area by increasing the length of tool handles.
  • Limit the exposure to sharp edges on a site by covering exposed rebar with caps.
  • Plan the work to ensure the individual is capable of handling the associated tools safely.