Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Typical injuries in the engineering workplace

             


               BLEEDING

Bleeding is a loss of blood which can be serious.
Blood transport oxygen around the body. If an injured person loses a lot of blood very quickly, he/she can go into shock. The severity of an injury that causes the loss of blood depends on how much blood is lost. If the person loses half a liter of blood in 20 minutes he/she will probably not go into shock but if he/she loses half a liter of blood very quickly he/she could possibly go into shock.
We can divide the bleeding into two types:
                      External bleeding:
You are bleeding from a visible wound and the blood is visible. (outside the body)
This bleeding is stopped by applying pressure to the wound to give the blood time for clotting. 
                      
                     Internal bleeding:
Bleeding on the inside of the body. Very dangerous because it is not visible and difficult to control.
Can be caused by injury to the abdomen, intestines, chest or head. 
Broken Bones
When more stress is put on a bone that it can stand, it will break.
A break of any size is called a fracture.
If the bone is broken in more than one place we call it a multiple fracture.
Should the broken bone puncture the skin it is called an open fracture or compound fracture.
A stress fracture is a hairline crack caused by repeated or prolonged forces against the bone. 
A dislocation is a separation of two bones where they meet at a joint. Dislocated bones may result in damage to ligaments, blood vessels and nerves.
Symptoms of a Broken Bone
The limb or joint is visibly out of place or
misshapen.
•Limited mobility or total inability to move a limb.
•Swelling, bruising or bleeding.
•Intense pain.
•Numbness and tingling.
•Broken skin with bone protruding.
        When to contact a medical professional 
A suspected broken bone in the head, neck, back
or spine.
•A suspected broken bone in the hip, pelvis or
upper leg.
•You cannot completely immobilise the injury at
the scene by yourself
•There is severe bleeding.
•An area below the injured joint is pale, cold,
clammy or blue.
•There is bone projecting through the skin.
                   Eyes
•Eye injuries are typical to happen in the
engineering workplace.
•If you don’t wear the correct protective clothing
when working with tools like the welder, grinder,
lathe, drill and chisels or chemicals you are likely to
pick up injuries to your eyes.
Typical eye injuries include, particles in the eye,
such as dust or tiny pieces of wood or metal. Also
light or chemical burns.
               Types of burns 
Dry heat burns. To much heat applied to the body,
like the sun or open flames.
Moist heat burns. Caused by steam or hot liquid.
Chemical burns. Chemicals such as acids can also
cause moist heat burns.
Radiation burns. Excessive x-rays and radiation
from radioactive materials.
Electrical burns. Caused by an electrical current.
Cold burns. Caused by frozen Nitrogen or frozen
Oxygen.
              Categories of burns
The seriousness of burns is determined by two 
things;
1.The depth of the burn and
2.The extend of the burn area.
The depth of the burn determine if it is a first, second
or third degree burn.
       First degree burns:
The top layer of the skin (epidermis) is damaged.
These burns are very red, painful and may have
blisters. Example: Sunburn.
These burns are also known as superficial burns.
        Second degree burns:
Both top and second layer skin are damaged. 
These burns are red or waxy white and blistered.
Deep second degree burns sometimes go with no pain
as the lower layer of skin is damaged and nerve
endings destroyed.
         Third degree Burns:
Full thickness of skin as well as underlying tissues is
damaged. The skin turned black with charred edges
and no pain. Shock can be expected.
                    Electrical shock and burns
Electrical shock is the result of electrical current 
passing through the body. This causes:
•  Pain and muscular spasms because the muscle
contract violently with the shock.
•  Breathing and heart rhythm problems that can lead
to heart attacks.
•   Fractures and dislocations. 
•   Burns when the current passes through the body. 
If someone gets an electrical shock, remember that
he or she will still be in contact with the electrical
supply. You need to break the contact by switching of
the electrical current at the main switch (BD Board) 
If you can not do this, do not touch the person with 
your bare hands. Stand on an isolated item such as a
rubber mat and use an object such as a wooden stick
to roll the person away from the contact. Do not use a
metal object to do this.
                           Shock
In first aid shock does not mean getting a fright or
surprise or an electrical shock.
Shock is a medical condition in which parts of the
body do not get enough blood and oxygen because of
injuries.
This is a serious condition and can cause 
unconsciousness, a coma or death.
Causes of shock
1.   Loss of a lot of blood, either suddenly or over a
longer period.
2.   Fright
3.   A nerve injury
4.   A heart attack
5.   A severe allergic reaction
    Signs of shock  
1. Restlessness, a feeling of being unable to keep still or stay where you are.
2. An anxiety, being worried about something.
3. Pale blue or grey lips and fingernails.
4. Cold skin.
5. Sweating.
6. Weak or very fast pulse rate
7. Shallow and/or very fast breathing.
8. Nausea or vomiting.
9. Gradual loss of consciousness.
   First aid for shock
A person in shock must be taken to a doctor as soon
as possible. In the meantime do the following.
• Talk to the injured person. There are two reasons for this.
• He or she would want to know what you are doing
• It is a way of stopping a person from losing consciousness.
• Give first aid for whatever gave the person the shock, like a cut or a fall.
• Treat the person as gentle as possible so not to cause extra pain.
• Loosen any tight clothing 
• Keep the person comfortable and do not let him/her get hot.
• Wipe the persons face if he/she are sweating.
• Wet the persons lips with water but do not let them drink the water.
• Let the person lie on his back with his feet raised 15 to 30 cm from the floor.
        Unconsciousness and fainting 
Unconscious:  If you are unconscious you are not awake at all and do not know what is happening around you. You can not see, feel or move in a normal way.
Head injuries, being unable to breath, poisoning and shock can all cause a person to faint. 
person having a heart attack may also faint.
Look at the table to determine if a person is conscious, semi conscious or unconscious.

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