What Types of Accidents Typically Cause Traumatic Brain Injury on the Job? Minimizing the Risk of TBI in the Workplace
As an employer, it’s important that you know that approximately one of every four (24%) of all traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) happen at work. What are the common causes of those injuries? What steps can you take as an employer to minimize the risk of TBI in the workplace?
The Factors that Most Often Lead to a Traumatic Brain Injury on the Job
Head injuries in the workplace generally involve some type of traumatic accident, usually one involving a direct bump or blow to the head. The specific circumstances vary from job to job, but the most common types of accidents causing traumatic brain injury include:
- Falls from heights, such as ladders, scaffolding, buckets or slings. Workers in certain occupations, such as construction, may fall from an unprotected roof or upper level of a project.
- Slips, trips and falls—Virtually any workplace can put a worker at risk for a slip or fall, whether from debris, trash, tools, jobsite materials, inventory, cables or other hazards. Certain types of job sites may also be predisposed to the accumulation of water, oil or other slippery substances.
- Falling objects—Many workers are injured in warehouse accidents by goods that are not safely secured, organized or stacked. In addition, construction workers are often at risk of injury from objects falling from upper levels.
What Can You Do to Minimize the Risk of Workplace TBI?
As an employer, if you want to minimize the potential risk of a workplace TBI, you’ll need to focus on three things:
- Ensuring workers have adequate and well-maintained safety equipment—Depending on your business, this may include hard hats, gloves, boots, masks, glasses and harnesses.
- Ensuring that there are effective workplace safety practices in place—Safety starts with a clean, uncluttered and well-lighted environment
- Ensuring that all your workers understand the importance of safety and have participated in safety training—Don’t assume that anyone knows how to be safe. Make certain everyone gets trained.
Contact Core Medical Center Today If You Have a Worker Who Has Suffered a Job-Related TBI
At Core Medical Center, we have the knowledge, experience, skill and resources to accurately and quickly evaluate any type of traumatic brain injury. We also have a comprehensive knowledge of the workers’ compensation laws in Missouri and Kansas and can work with employers to ensure that work-related injuries are accurately diagnosed and treated. To learn more, contact Core Medical Center online or call our offices in Blue Springs, Missouri, at (819) 229-1941.
