[Jewelry making - Article 00020] - Re: [Orchid] Is lapidary hard on the hands?

[Beth Wicker]

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    I can't speak to how cutting stones affects carpal tunnel, but as
    someone who has it in both hands, I do have to be very careful about
    what I do, how I do it, and how long I do it at a stretch.  I would
    not think that doing a "little" of anything would be bad.  Doing more
    than that of a lot of things (including typing!) would be bad.  I
    also think that the affect that the carpal tunnel has on each person
    is different, and you also mentioned ligament damage, which will
    change things again. 

    I have difficulty holding small things tightly, or for a long time. 
    However I can hold a small stone briefly in order to set it, or
    manage to string very small pearls with no trouble - I am not holding
    each small pearl for very long.  I have also learned when to quit -
    if my wrists and hands start to ache, it is time to stop!  Hopefully
    your employee has learned this.  If so, then letting him "try"
    anything should be fine, with the caveat that he MUST stop
    immediately if he begins to hurt. 

    As an employer, the risk you run, I would think, is in terms of what
    might happen with insurance claims.  If he aggravates, reinjures, or
    more deeply injures the existing areas, what is your liability?  What
    is his?  I don't know, but I would think those are areas you should
    carefully explore! 

    What I, as a self-employed artist, can and will do, and what might
    be the best thing for you to have an employee do, may not be at all
    the same thing. 

Good luck!
Beth in SC


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