Hand injury from powered wood splitters: machine safety, patterns of use and injury events

The purpose of this study was to describe factors of possible importance for the occurrence of hand injury from powered wood splitters.

Patients were identified by a computerized patient registry. Information was obtained from hospital records, a written questionnaire and a structured telephone interview.

Very few splitters were constructed according to European standards. Twenty-one percent of patients injured with wedge splitters thought that having more than one person at the machine was one cause of the accident. Seventy-nine percent of patients injured with screw splitters stated that glove use was one cause of the accident.

The level of safety in wood splitters that cause hand injury is often poor. Having more than one person at the machine during work may contribute to wedge splitter injury. Glove use commonly contributes to screw splitter injury. Prevention should be directed towards unsafe machines and dangerous patterns of use.