Leave The Chainsaw In His Neck

Did you see the CNN story about a man with a chainsaw in his neck?  While a lot of luck was involved in his good fortune, his fellow employees get some credit.  They removed the motor and left the blade in his neck, which kept the bleeding to a minimum until he was transported to the hospital.

I know a company here in Indiana that had a traumatic injury where the employee had his arm caught in a machine.  In that case, the other employees left him trapped until the EMT arrived.  The machine acted like a tourniquet on the trapped arm preventing blood loss while waiting for the medical professionals to arrive.

In both of these cases the decision of the fellow employees played a vital role in the immediate medical care of the injured employee.  Would that be the case at your workplace?  In a recent post we talked about the hidden costs of injury, specifically the distraction of fellow employees.  In the immediate aftermath of an injury, we need that distraction in the form of first aid.

Every company, including an office (read my office injury post) needs to have employees trained as first responders.  I have been through CPR training, and while it is a good course and important training to have, it doesn't completely prepare me to respond.  A committee should be formed to review possible injuries and how immediate responders should react.

Unfortunately, some of the more severe claims need to be considered.  While they are less likely, the impact on both cost and the severity of the health impact to the employee make it worth the time to review the "what ifs" of those claims.

If your safety committee is only looking at past accidents and asking how to prevent them, shift their focus to possible accidents and preparing for the unfortunate day they do happen.