Serious notes about hand/finger injuries

[LCHIEN]

At work they are having a campaign to reduce injuries, This is oil field related so the injury reports are generally with oil field machinery and tools. However I was struck with the quickness with which these accidents happened and how they paralleled careless instants in Woodworking. Each report is followed by a follow up of how it affected the person involved. I thought I would pass it along, if nothing else to make you think a second more before doing your stuff.


The bold text is from Risk and discusses briefly a discussion of the incident and associated injury. Below that in normal text discusses what impact the injury has affected the employee since the incident.

#1

AMPUTATED RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER
FINGER
Lost Time
EMPLOYEE WAS GRINDING A TAPER MILL WHEN HE APPARENTLY LOST CONTROL AND THE GRINDER CUT OFF THE EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT MIDDLE FINGER. EMPLOYEE WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE THE FINGER WAS RE-ATTACHED. THE OPERTION WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE EMPLOYEE STILL REMAINS OFF WORK.

Employee’s surgery was unsuccessful and the amputation was completed between the base of the right middle finger and the first knuckle. The employee underwent physical therapy for approx 2 months in order to regain complete circulation and use of the right hand and fingers. Limitations include psychological injury in having a partially deformed hand in public as well as continued pain through out the recovery. He’s been told to expect continued pain in that area for 3 to 5 years due to severed nerve endings. He no longer plays sports due to the recurring pain or possibility of pain in that hand if struck.

#2

SEVERED LEFT INDEX FINGER TIP
FINGER
Restricted Duty
EMPLOYEE WAS DIRECTING THE CRANE OPERATOR IN POSITIONING OUR SKID UNIT TO GET ALIGNED. THE EMPLOYEE WAS STANDING INSIDE THE SKID AND PLACED HIS HAND OUTSIDE THE SKID DOOR TO GIVE HAND SIGNALS TO THE CRANE OPERATOR. THE DOOR STARTED TO SWING OPEN WHEN A 2ND EMPLOYEE THOUGHT THE SKID WAS MOVING SO HE STEPPED INTO THE DOOR TO PREVENT THE SKID FROM MOVING TOO FAR. EMPLOYEE SLAMMED THE DOOR SHUT ON THE EMPLOYEE'S LEFT INDEX FINGER. EMPLOYEE WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WHERE SURGERY WAS PERFORMED AND THE EMPLOYEE WAS RELEASED TO RESTRICTED DUTY.


This employee suffered a partial amputation of the left index finger. This employee is an engineer and uses a computer routinely in his work. Because of his background, he was capable of typing at a very high rate of speed. One of the main things as an engineer with xxxxx is using a computer. “Since I took typing in high school and college and have been using a computer for many years with touch typing average of 70 to 90 wpm it has all but eliminated that. It throws me off balance typing because of being shorter and that throws the rest of my typing off trying to compensate. I have had to go to finger punching and that slows me down considerably, and makes me frustrated and mad. It was hard to do some things with the shorter finger but most of that is minor compared to the typing problem. I did not go to any physical therapy and have for a long time been back to full duty, really about 1.5 months after the incident”.

#3



Restricted Duty
29 Jul 2007

EMPLOYEE WAS PULLING SLIPS, HE SLIPPED AND WHEN HE WENT TO CATCH HIMSELF HE PUT HIS LEFT HAND ON THE ELEVATOR, CATCHING HIS THUMB BETWEEN THE ELEVATOR AND PIPE COLLAR. EMPLOYEE WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WHERE HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A PARTIAL AMPUTATION OF HIS LEFT THUMB. EMPLOYEE WAS RELEASED TO RESTRICTED DUTY.
SERVICES

This employee’s left thumb was severed between the knuckle and thumbnail. His recovery has been hampered because he chose not to participate in physical therapy following the incident, though has gone back to work. Prior to this incident, he and his 7 year old son would play baseball together. Because of his injury, he is not able to catch the ball because of the associated pain when the ball strikes the glove near his thumb. He is also very cautious when using his left hand because of the injury and continual reminder of the injury and pain. He’s become virtually a one handed individual because of his reluctance to use the left hand. There currently is no information about whether he’ll regain full potential in this hand, though generally speaking, the associated pain will diminish somewhat in the coming years as the nerve endings heal

[JR]

I notice that not everyone did physical therapy. If you do get a hand injury, physical therapy is critical to proper healing.

LOML broke a pinky finger, the last part under the fingernail (the only serious injury when she went over the handlebars at 40+MPH). As a flute player she was very concerned. The doctor predicted 90-95% recovery of normal range of motion.

She was able to reach 95% (or perhaps a bit more), but it took one year of 3-times/week therapy. During that process there was carpel tunnel, swelling, pain, etc.

Moral: if you get hurt you have to do the therapy.

JR

[eezlock]

hand/finger injuries

Looks as if any hand /finger related injuries must have therapy afterward.
I guess the doctors/ therapists have to re-educate the brain to work with
the damaged hand for the person to return to a " normal" life after an injury.
eezlock

[Pappy]

Had an uncle that lost the little finger of his right hand on an ol rig. He was setting drillling joints on top of the derrick and got it caught it a joint. He always figured he could buy it back someday at the pump!

[Scottydont]

Most of us take our hands for granted until an injury makes it so we can't use them. I second the rehab for hand injuries because they are so important to our quality of life.

[LCHIEN]

i was hoping to make you guys think about not getting onto a position where you need therapy at all.
so you can continue to play catch with your sons and daughters and type to your hearts content.

[Shipwreck]

i was hoping to make you guys think about not getting onto a position where you need therapy at all.
so you can continue to play catch with your sons and daughters and type to your hearts content.

Point taken. Had a kick back on the saw 2 weeks ago. It was a painful and humble experience. Main cause: Being in a hurry and not using using safe/proper techniques.

[rnelson0]

i was hoping to make you guys think about not getting onto a position where you need therapy at all.

It doesn't have to be an amputation for it to need therapy. Playing football I caught the ball with my pinky that pushed it away from the other fingers and backward. I immediately iced it when I got home and taped it to the ring finger. I've been cautious with it ever since. I am doing so because I had a similar injury with a stretched tendon/ligament in my right ring finger in November 05. It still hurts - especially in the cold weather. In the original injury I was given some exercises to try at home - no use in driving 10 miles to do pinky pushups - and I do the same exercises on my left hand now.

These are just minor injuries. I can't imagine what is required with an amputation. Treat it seriously, no matter the severity!

[JR]

i was hoping to make you guys think about not getting onto a position where you need therapy at all.

Fair enough, Loring. It's a good reminder to take the whole thing seriously, from prevention of injury to, God forbid, recovery from one.

JR

[Richard in Smithville]

Interesting that this has come up at this time. One week ago, one of our on-site workers had the index and middle finger removed at the second knuckle in a mixer. He did not use lock out/tag out. One finger was reattatched( not sure if it will take) the other finger was lost in the morter.