TECHNICAL RELEASE 12-R-1
Safety: personal protective equipment February 2012
Fig. 1: HexArmor® nin-inch arm guard includes a spandex wrist insert with thumb hole.INTRODUCTION: Maintenance of chipper knives, flaker knives, slasher saws, and other sharp-edged parts exposes the individual to injury from cuts, abrasions, and punctures. Maintenance personnel at Weyerhaeuser’s Elkin, North Carolina OSB mill wear a protective arm guard, in addition to cut-resistant gloves, when sharpening or changing the flaker knives.
GENERAL FEATURES: The nine-inch arm guard is manufactured by HexArmor®. HexArmor® advertises that this item (#AG10009S) is made with lightweight, cool, SuperFabric® material, and it is cut, puncture, and abrasion resistant (but not cut, puncture, and abrasion proof). The machine-washable arm guard includes a spandex wrist insert with thumb hole.
Fig. 2: Arm guard can be worn with cut-resistant gloves for more complete protection.APPLICATION: Weyerhaeuser employees use the arm guard in combination with Kevlar/protective gloves when sharpening or replacing flaker knives. This arm guard, in coordination with cutresistant gloves, could provide an important level of safety for individuals on logging operations during field chipper knife changes, slasher saw maintenance, or repair and maintenance of other sharp-edged objects. (Note: The sleeves are not to be used for protection from moving or serrated blades.)
SPECIFICATIONS AND COST: For information about various HexArmor® products, please visit www.hexarmor.com. An internet search will identify businesses selling this product. (FRA Staff note: An online search in the fall of 2011, for example, brought up an Amazon. com price for the nine-inch arm guard of $26.99 (plus tax) and an “eSafetySupplies.com” list price of $31.50.) The arm guards are available in a range of sizes. For added protection to the back of the hand and the wrist area, HexArmor® also sells a 9-inch arm guard with an extended cuff (item #AG9X).