In Safe Hands

Here the experts at Bosch explain why features incorporated in many of its tools are just the job for safety-conscious Brits.

UK trade professionals are the most safety conscious in Europe. So says a recent poll which canvassed tradespeople’s views in Britain and eight other countries on behalf of Bosch Professional.

When asked if they stopped work regularly to fulfil health and safety requirements, over 56% of the UK respondents answered ‘yes’. By contrast, only about 39% in Germany, 37.5% in Spain and 35% in France said they did.

Allowing time to address health and safety is vitally important in the workplace, but interrupting workflow can significantly affect efficiency. Thankfully, this impact can be minimised through safety-focused tool design and technology, which Bosch Professional has used to maintain productivity while protecting workers.

Sudden injury

It’s difficult to quantify the number of accidents involving power tools each year in Britain, but it certainly runs into tens of thousands. One of the classic causes is ‘kickback’, where a drill bit, grinding disc or saw blade is suddenly jammed by an obstruction in the work material. Rotation immediately transfers to the tool itself, and the user’s arm may be twisted, torn or broken as a result. Worse still, the tool’s cutting edge may be redirected onto the user.

Safeguards on the Bosch GWS 18V-125 SC Professional Angle Grinder include electronic KickBack Control, which can also be found on some of the manufacturer’s drills. On sensing any sudden blockage, it instantly switches off the motor. This angle grinder was also the world’s first power tool to offer a Drop Control system, automatically cutting off power in the event of a fall.

Hand-arm vibration

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates¹ that two million people in Britain are at risk from hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAV). After a slow and gradual build-up of nerve damage, the disability becomes permanent and sufferers must give up work. HAV-related problems include vibration white finger and carpal tunnel syndrome. In 2016, the last year for which HSE has published an analysis² of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit claims, these conditions were cited in 695 new cases.

Vibration’s effects on workers depend on its intensity and the duration of exposure. HSE provides a useful online calculator³ which calculates the safe maximum daily use of any given tool.

Bosch Professional has developed various ways of lowering vibration. For example, active vibrations are reduced in the Bosch GBH 18V-26 (F) Professional Rotary Hammer by a damping element that uncouples the main handle from the hammer drive. In the Bosch GSA 18V-32 Professional Sabre Saw, inertial forces are constantly counteracted by a counterweight.

Dust-related illnesses

Latest HSE statistics⁴ show that around 12,000 people are killed in the UK each year by respiratory diseases resulting from unhealthy work environments. In addition to cancer, mesothelioma and pneumoconiosis, they include chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other forms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Around 147,000 people have breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work. To those, about 18,000 new cases are added each year.

Use of a drill, angle grinder, saw or multi-tool generates dust, which should never be considered harmless. Everyday materials such as concrete, stone, brick and slate, for instance, release silica dust which damages health irreversibly and shortens life.

Dust masks and other PPE (personal protective equipment) are not the solution, except as a very last resort. If generation of dust can’t be avoided, it should be removed as close as possible to its source with a purpose-designed vacuum cleaning and filtration system.

The Bosch Professional range of cleaners has an answer for every situation. Take the Bosch GAS 18V-10 L Professional Cordless Dust Extractor, for example. Designed for both wet and dry use, it maintains maximum suction power for long periods through automatic filter cleaning. With the Bosch GBH 18V-26 (F) Professional Rotary Hammer, users can even have an integral dust extractor. This is a compact unit which simply slots into place when needed, to extract as they drill.

So, while Britain’s trade professionals clearly understand there is no substitute for safe practice, the inbuilt safety of Bosch Professional power tools can bring extra reassurance.