Knife safety in the warehouse

When you're using either box cutters, retractable knives or pallet wrap cutters on a regular basis, it's important that staff are well aware of the measures they need to take to make their environment safe. Not only for them, but also for others. Their handling, storage and operation needs to be carefully considered. To help, we've created a list of things you should consider when using various cutters to make the warehouse a safer place for everyone.

1. When using box cutters, ensure the cutting motion is away from the body and even pressure is applied to avoid slipping.
2. Make sure the cutters are sharp. Even though it can be more hazardous, a sharp blade will cut smoothly as opposed to a dull blade which will catch and could slip against a tough patch.
3. If you drop a cutting tool step back and let it fall to the ground, do not try and catch it or disrupt its fall as you could risk cutting your hand.
4. Wear gloves at all times. Many won't stop a blade but some will provide an extra layer of protection - like our Safe Knit Gloves or our Cut Resistant Gloves.
5. Stay focused while cutting. If you're distracted or need to focus on something else, retract the blade and put it on a flat, safe space.
6. When passing a box cutter make sure the blade is fully retracted and the knife is passed handle first.
7. It's a great idea to only extend the blade on a box cutter as far as required to cut through the box. This reduces the risk of damaging the contents of the box.

As you can see, a few of these points add an extra action to the working process - but a step well worth taking! Many people suggest that the blade is retracted before a step is taken. It's an essential step but it can often be one that is forgotten or intentionally missed, especially if the operative expects to resume cutting soon after - it's seen as wasted energy retracting a blade only to extend it again moments later.

What many people don't consider is the likelihood of something happening to that cutter whilst the blade is extended. Therefore it can be much safer to buy knives that feature auto-retractibility. Not only does this encourage safety when being handled, passed or set aside for a moment, but in the event it is dropped it minimises the risk of the open blade impacting a part of the workers body.

You can view our range of auto-retractable knives here, or see our entire range of warehouse knives here.