Founded in 1925, Baltimore Toolworks, which manufacturers Hard Cap Safety Chisels, has forged millions of struck tools under its own brand and the brands of many nationally known companies. A few years ago, Harry McCarty, the third-generation president of the family owned Baltimore Toolworks, started wondering about chisel safety. McCarty has served on the board of the Hand Tool Institute multiple times and on insurance claim committees looking closely at product design and safety review as they related to workplace injuries while using hand struck tools.

In reviewing claims, McCarty began to study the details of injuries related to striking tools. The most common injuries, of course, occurred when a user missed the chisel head with the hammer and hammered the fingers or wrist of his or her other hand. Those with perfect aim had complaints, too. After years of holding chisels and whacking them, some workers developed repetitive motion injuries in their hands and arms. The energy transferred to a struck chisel reverberates up and down both arms and can eventually cause debilitating injuries. Sometimes, mushroomed chisels would chip when hit, sending metal shards flying. McCarty also discovered a problem with noise. The high-pitched metal pinging sound created when a good hammer hit a well-made chisel could, over time, cause hearing loss.

Was it possible to reinvent the chisel to make it vibrate less and ping more softly when struck? Yes, but with an enormous amount of research, testing and patience.