One injury. One rule for everybody. Will it fit the work?
A company-wide response should address the exposure without pretending every task is identical.
A practical discussion using an illustrative situation—not a specific client account or book excerpt.
The situation
After several hand injuries, a company announces that everyone will use the same glove for every task. It sounds decisive. In practice, crews handle different materials, work with different equipment, and face different exposures. Some employees say the selected glove makes parts of their work harder. Leadership hears resistance to safety.
Take the complaints to the task
The original injuries deserve a proper review. Which tasks were involved? What caused the injuries? Was the issue protection, equipment condition, work method, training, or several things together? Then examine the tasks covered by the new direction. A shared body part does not establish a shared cause or a suitable control for every job.
Separate the expectation from the product
The organization may have a sound expectation that identified hand exposures will be controlled and suitable protection used where required. That does not establish that one product is suitable everywhere. Have the appropriate safety and technical support evaluate the protection and other controls against the tasks, equipment instructions, and applicable requirements. Do not let a trial or employee preference replace that assessment.
Give field leaders a usable answer
Explain which arrangement applies to which work and why. If the original direction needs refinement, get that authorized and communicate it clearly. Employees should not have to choose between following a blanket instruction and using an unapproved workaround. Where several locations perform the same task, a common solution may make good sense. Where the exposures differ, the response needs to recognize that.
Ask one question before the next blanket correction
“Which exposure does this action address, and have we checked it against the tasks we are applying it to?” The same question belongs in responses to slips, lifting incidents, equipment contact, and other events. A broad reminder may support the message. It cannot do the job of choosing a control that fits the work.