Injuries occur in even the safest work environments. Despite the best, most conscientious efforts of all, work injuries happen. In industrial environments, injuries can, unfortunately, be more common and more dangerous than they might be elsewhere. Here at West Coast Wound Care, we’ve treated many who were injured in an industrial environment. These are some pointers to keep in mind.
What Should Happen Before First Aid: Train Your Employees
There is only so much one can do to prepare for industrial workplace injuries. Something that all companies should do: make their employees aware of what to do in case of emergency. Train them. No time spent going over safety protocols and practices with employees/colleagues is ever wasted.
That said, it’s important to have an emergency care plan in place and it’s also important to make sure that your workers know it. It’s one thing to have typed up an emergency plan that’s very detailed and buried in a PDF or handbook somewhere. Make sure that your employees/colleagues are aware of what it entails.
That way, should the worst happen, there will be a higher likelihood of the most positive outcome.
First Aid: First Priorities
If someone at your job suffers an injury, the first course of action is to do everything possible to ensure everyone’s safety. That means making sure that the injured party and you/any potential caregivers are removed as much as possible from the threat of further harm.
Once that’s taken care of, apply direct pressure to a bleeding wound. If at all possible, you want to clean the wound thoroughly. A sterile saline solution can work wonders, removing debris so as to make the wound even cleaner.
On the subject of cleaning the wound, apply a dressing that’s both clean and appropriate to the wound. You may have read to this point and thought some version of: “sterile saline solution, appropriate wound dressing, sounds like the company should have some first aid supplies.”
Absolutely. Industrial environments should have a wide range of first aid supplies. Moreover, employees should absolutely know how to use them, too.
If you’re injured at work, get medical attention. Even if the wound is seemingly minor, even if it doesn’t seem like “a big deal,” let your employer know and go to a medical professional. All too often, some of the worst injuries don’t seem like much initially. The sooner a medical professional looks at your wounds, the better.
The Best Industrial Wound Care: Preventative
There’s no foolproof way to prevent injuries in an industrial environment. It simply isn’t possible. That said, there are steps that you can take to make your industrial environment safer for you and your employees.
For example, make sure that your environment is as safe as possible. Stairways, railings, flooring, roofing, and so forth – all too often, those can contribute to terrible accidents. Ensuring that they’re in their best shape can greatly reduce the likelihood of an at-work industrial injury.
Simply keeping your industrial space clean can help, too. Clutter, particularly in an environment with machinery, tools, and so forth, can be dangerous.
Your employee’s health isn’t dependent solely upon what they can touch. Indeed, air quality matters, too. To the extent that you can, ventilate your work area, keeping the air quality high. On that same subject, having plenty of PPE (personal protective equipment) is not just a good idea, it’s a good investment in your company.
What Professional Wound Care Can Do
Our wound care techs have treated many who were injured in one industrial environment or another. Whenever we treat someone, regardless of how they sustained their injury or where, we always tailor our treatments to their exact, specific needs.
For example, we can provide top-quality wound debridement. That way, your wound is treated with the most cutting-edge technology by professionals with years of real-world experience.
Beyond that, if necessary, we offer wound vacuum treatments, skin grafting, and more. All of this treats the wound, yes, but we don’t focus our treatment efforts just on your wounds. Indeed, we believe in holistic care, treating the entire person.
To see how we can help, request a free appointment.