Crush Injuries in the Workplace – Kansas City Workers Comp Attorneys

Records show that nearly half of the amputation injuries take place in the manufacturing industry.

Crush Injuries can occur in any workplace. However, records show that nearly half of the amputation injuries take place in the manufacturing industry. This is among the most disabling type of injury in which a part of the body gets caught or compressed. It may lead to the amputation of the crushed part which has a grave psychological impact on the person. It not only causes physical pain and misery but also a loss of income and excessive expenditure on medical bills. It is therefore essential to take preventive measures in the workplace. In this article, our Kansas City, MO workers compensation lawyer will discuss these injuries in detail.

Common causes of crush injuries

There can be various reasons for crush injuries.

• The worker may be hit by a falling object.
• He may be caught between two things.
• A structure may collapse.
• Equipment or machinery may run over him by mistake.
• A worker’s limbs may get caught in the machinery.
• The machinery may be defective and not function properly.

Types of Injuries

When a body part is caught or crushed, the cells of the muscle start dying. There are three mechanisms which the body experiences that cause the cells to die when a body part is crushed. They are:

Lysis – The cells get disrupted immediately due to the crushing of a body part.

Ischemia – when the crushing injury puts pressure on the muscle cells they become ischemic. They generate a lot of lactic acid. The cell membranes start leaking. This may happen within an hour after the injury.

Vascular compromise – Large vessels may be compressed due to crushing injuries. Blood supply to the tissues and the muscles may be cut off due to this and lead to cell death.

These mechanisms may cause a number of health problems. For instance, the skin tissue, the nerves, or the muscles may be damaged. The person may suffer a compartment syndrome. The worker’s limb may be severed instantly. He may have to undergo a surgery to amputate a crushed limb. His bones may be broken and if the spine is broken it may lead to paralysis. Sometimes it may cause death.

The severity of the injury depends on factors like which part of the body is crushed, the force with which it is crushed, and for how long it remains crushed. Mostly, fingers, feet, hands, arms, and legs get crushed in the workplace. Nevertheless, other parts of the body are not wholly protected and can get crushed when they get caught in something.

Unfortunately, a crush injury can be very serious because the disruption of the cells may continue even after the victim is freed from the situation. The sad part is that cell death can affect other parts of the body too, and influence the overall health of the person.

An amputation injury may lead to further complications. There may be an infection, pain, blood clots, swelling, and improper healing. This may call for another amputation. It can cause anxiety, depression, cardiac problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder.