Boys may love their toys but men love hand cream more…
Posted by: electrical-poster 2nd November 2017
New research undertaken by Toolstation has revealed that 39% of all tradespeople suffer with injuries, aches or pains to their hands and fingers – with builders (49%) and electricians (41%) affected the most.
For a profession that is more literally ‘hands-on’ than perhaps any other, the importance of fit and healthy hands cannot be underestimated.
The most common cause of hand problems mentioned was having to work in cold and wet conditions, with 34% believing it was the root of their pain; as well as the materials often used in doing the job, as one respondent commented:
“The joints in my fingers are very restrictive during winter time, especially in cold weather. Building dust and cement/plaster are my worst enemy. Also, the skin on my hands becomes very dry during these times with deep cracks forming around joint areas, that often bleed.”
Help is close to hand though – according to Toolstation, sales of O’Keefes ‘Working Hands’ hand cream have increased by over 250% compared to last year as customers switch on to protecting their most important asset, their highly skilled hands.
And it’s not just the hands of the trade that are receiving care and attention; Toolstation has recently added a larger size of the hand cream as well as O’Keefes ‘Healthy Feet’ foot cream to its range, which are both proving very popular.
John Meaden, marketing director at Toolstation, believes the sales increase is down to an increased awareness of health issues amongst the trade, saying:
“Our research has uncovered lots of revealing facts about the health and wellbeing of the UK trade, including the importance of protecting themselves against injuries due to fear of lost income. A tradespersons’ hands are the most important tool they’ve got, so it makes sense that we’ve witnessed massive growth in sales of O’Keefes ‘Working Hands’ hand cream, as the trade finds ways of dealing with dry and cracked skin that occurs when working in cold weather.”
