Workplace injuries to hands can be life changing

On Behalf of | Mar 4, 2019 | Workplace Injuries

Workers in Oklahoma often do not stop to think about the importance of their hands, which are essential for every job they do. Employers often fail to include hand and finger safety in safety training, while serious injuries that could have life-altering consequences can happen in the blink of an eye. Safety authorities say that about one million employees nationwide get treatment for hand-related workplace injuries each year.

Even while gloves are the most generally used personal protective equipment in all industries, hand injuries remain the second most frequently reported occupational injury. However, many hand injuries occur because workers did not have gloves or their gloves provided inadequate protection. Hand injuries can be penetration wounds or lacerations as well as crush injuries or fractures of the bones in the hands or fingers.

Although protective gloves can prevent injuries during slicing or cutting motions, a stab by a sharp object could penetrate through the glove and into the hand. When workers place their hands into machines or equipment with working parts, crush injuries can occur, and these could even lead to amputations. Fractures happen when the hands suffer sudden blows or when a worker extends his or her hands to break a fall.

Any worker who tries to imagine doing his or her job without using his or her hands or minus a few fingers will realize how vital hand safety is. However, those who are already victims of workplace injuries to their hands might be eligible for insurance benefits. An experienced Oklahoma workers’ compensation attorney can assist injured workers with the claims process to obtain benefits to cover medical expenses and lost wages. If the injury led to amputation, vocational rehabilitation might form part of the benefits.