Hand-tools in the Household

1. Wrench

Pros

 Wrenches are made in various shapes and sizes and are used for gripping, fastening,
turning, tightening and loosening things like pipes, pipe fittings, nuts and bolts.
 Wrenches may be adjustable to fit different sized pipes, nuts and bolts.

Cons

 As a rule, using a hand tool requires a firm grip. The resulting compression of soft tissue
in the palm and fingers may obstruct blood circulation, resulting in numbness and
tingling.

 Blisters are also common due to friction between the palm of the hand and the handle of
the tool.

 Turning the handle quickly or with pressure may create stress and strains on the hand or
arm.

Remedies

 Slight contouring of the grip or flared handles can increase comfort and reduce slippage
in sweaty hands.
 Handles should be at least 4 - 5" long for power grip.
 Longer handles help distribute forces on fingers.
 Smooth handles for tools requiring wrist rotation should be avoided because of the
increased risk of slippage and rotational wrist damage.
 Padding handles reduces the force needed to grip the tool.

2. Hammer

A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a
long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be,
for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal, or to crush rock. 

Pros
 The handle of the hammer helps in several ways.
 It keeps the user's hands away from the point of impact.
 It provides a broad area that is better-suited for gripping by the hand.
 It allows the user to maximize the speed of the head on each blow. 
 Cons
 Shoulder pain
 Wrist pain
 Stiffness in finger
 Soreness in elbow
 Awkward handles can cause repetitive stress injury (RSI) to hand and arm joints, and
uncontrolled shock waves from repeated impacts can injure nerves and the skeleton.
 Improper use of hammer can damage muscles and tendons of hand.
 Repetitive hammering can cause constriction of blood vessels resulting in reduced blood
flow in hands (numbness and tingle)

Remedies

 The hammer should be heavy, so it is effective while hammering nails on the wall.
 Make sure that it is of proper weight for the user. One should be able to lift the
hammer easily without any difficulty.
 Handles can be made up of durable plastic or rubber

3. Slotted Screwdrivers

Description: Slotted screwdrivers are also known as flat head screwdrivers. It’s the most
common type of screwdriver you find almost in every home. From simple household tasks to
furniture manufacturing and from cabinetry making to complex engineering tasks, you see
them everywhere.

Pros
 One of the top benefits of slotted screwdrivers is the easy use of the tool.
 They are simple and the user doesn’t require any training for its usage.
 It doesn’t need any battery or electric supply for the operation which means it’s energy-
efficient and requires minimum maintenance.

Cons

 Screwdriver work is often performed with highly repetitive wrist movement.

 Screw-driving task performed with thin handle would cause wrist pain after highly
repetitive screw-driving work.
 The tool is prone to slipping and falls off from the hand very easily that often damages
the screw or surrounding spaces.

Remedies
 The handle of the screwdriver should be made thicker.
 Maximum grip strength is observed when the grip span was about 4 cm.
 In general, the handle diameter should not be greater than 4 to 5 cm and should
allow slight overlap of the thumb and fingers of the user.