The Ripple Effects of Occupational Accidents: Impact on Employee, Family, and Society

Part 2: Impact on the Family:

The reverberations of an employee's accident resonate deeply within the family sphere. The dynamics shift, demanding unprecedented time and resources for caregiving. The ripple effects? of occupational accidents on the family include:

Exploitation of family resources. While employers in many countries will be required to provide medical treatment for the injured employee, it is important to acknowledge that there is more than medication post-accident. During recovery, the employee needs a balanced diet, and good sanitation, among other miscellaneous expenses. In other countries, injured employees undergo a paid-for rehabilitation process (return to work rehabilitation), but unfortunately in many developing countries, post-injury rehabilitation is unheard of. Therefore, the family gathers for additional expenses towards recovery. Even though the employer may pay temporary compensation or part or whole salary during recovery, the recovery period may be longer and the pay may be terminated based on the prevailing legislation, leaving the family to gather for the rest of the recovery period expenses.

Caregiving-time. For every injured employee, at least one family member depending on the severity of the injury will be tasked with day-to-day caregiving until the employee recovers. This robs the assigned member of their time to go about their normal routine. In other cases where extensive care is required, the tasked member may completely stop doing their daily duties to provide full care for their loved one. This comes with stagnation in their dreams and achievements and consequently affects those who depend on the caregiver.

Mental well-being. The Bible in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 Vs 25-27 says;

“25. So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

“26. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

The same case applies to our families. When one member is sick, the rest are mentally and emotionally affected. This is because the family will be worried about the required resources, the dependants who are suffering the repercussions, and of course, the fact that they see their loved one wail in pain.

Loss of income- Most if not all employees have direct dependants be it parents, siblings, spouses, or children. When an employee goes down due to occupational injury, the immediate loss of income affects the dependants, not to mention their ability to financially sustain their personal needs during sickness. If I make an assumption that most occupational accidents happen to low-income earners because they work in the informal sector where safety is not a priority, I will be sure to say the employees often do not have adequate savings to cushion them during recovery. Therefore, the impact of loss of income is almost immediate.

Generally, the web of impact stemming from employee accidents traverses beyond the individual to touch families. As we aspire to keep our workplaces safe, it becomes increasingly evident that holistic support systems, stringent workplace safety measures, and heightened societal awareness are imperative.