Safecutters

Given the strides manufacturers have made in safety, perhaps “safety knife” makes the most sense. Many of these little safety blades now feature in-handle safety cutting blade storage, easy blade changeout, ergonomic handles, and automatically-retracting cutting blades, among other safety features. These innovations make safety knives useful for anyone who regularly deals with packaging - which is most of us. Safety knives have moved from the stockroom to the living room.

Most employees do work that could be enhanced by a cutting tool made just for the job. While they may be largely unaware of the specialty features, employers or managers should consider what features will be most useful for their workers. The features available are too numerous for listing: safety cutting blade and handle material; ergonomic features; shape, size, and strength of blades; blade replacement or quick change; blade dispensers; and cutting blades disposable bins to maintain shop floor safety are just a few of the options available. This is a constantly changing field, and new items and features are available to employers regularly.

Long gone are the days of handing a new tool to an employee and letting him figure out how to use the safety cutting blade. In order to reduce workplace injury, take full advantage of awareness and education items provided by utility and safety knife manufacturers and distributors. Training can include presentations, video, live training sessions, and literature, often in many languages. Most importantly, make sure employees understand safety cutting blade replacement, the value of keeping a sharp blade at all times, and disposing of used safety blades correctly.

Most of all, be sure you have good box cutters on hand. Use a box cutter with a sharp safety cutting blade, because dull cutting blades require more pressure, leading to greater potential for injuries. Maintain a full set of utility knife box cutters, safety blades, and safety knives for your employees and your home, and instruct everyone who handles them in proper box-cutting technique.