Managing and preventing severe hand injuries among sugarcane juicer operators

Abstract

Of all hand injuries encountered at an emergency department, 54% are sustained in the workplace,1 in part contributed by occupational injuries among food and beverage operators that caused a loss of 16,197 man-hours in 2021 alone.2 Commonplace in Singapore and in parts of South and Southeast Asia is the sugarcane juicer, a machine typically operated by sole proprietorship drink stalls within food centres and more importantly, a dangerous cause of workplace accidents. We highlight the severity of sugarcane juicer-related hand injuries that have resulted in permanent disabilities in 3 representative patients. We also review occupational health risks of such technology to understand the contributing factors involved and how they can be prevented.