What Do Injuries Really Cost??

The following article was taken in part from a presentation I attended and is used to illustrate the importance of injury prevention both at work and home as the results can be devastating not just to the individual victim but to loved ones.

“My colleagues and I responded to an ambulance call for an attempted suicide. After the police told us it was safe to enter the house (which is normal procedure when a firearm is involved) we went into the bathroom to find the victim lying in the bathtub. He was obviously dead. He had killed himself by taking a high powered rifle and shooting himself in the head. There was nothing we could do for him but it was obvious his family needed help. You see, his body was discovered by his little girl and his estranged wife.

Why did this man kill himself? What were the events leading to this tragedy? One of the triggers may well have been that he hadn't moved the ladder two feet.

I'll explain. Approximately one year prior, this man was working at home, painting the eaves trough. He had just a few more feet of painting to do. He realized he should get down from the ladder and move it over in order to do the job safely, but he decided not to and he took a risk; like we have all done at one time or another. As he leaned over to finish, he lost his balance and fell.  At the job-site he might not have taken this risk because most work-sites have safety rules and regulations that must be followed and that can be enforced. At most homes though, there are few safety rules. This man's decision to take the risk and lean over had a profound effect on him and his family. His fall severely fractured his upper leg and pelvis. From that instant on, this once active man's life changed dramatically. He required several operations and many months of bed rest and rehabilitation. He was also not the only person affected by his injury. Trying to save 30 seconds by not taking the time to move the ladder cost his family dearly as well. There is always a ripple effect when someone is injured.

Let's look at some of these effects.

The injury caused him constant pain for a very long time. This combined with depression led to the abuse of the pain killers he had been prescribed. The family income was reduced so his wife went back to work leaving him to look after the small children. The depression progressed to the point he started abusing alcohol which in turn caused additional stress within his family. His wife eventually left him, taking the children with her. Left alone he spiraled down to the depths of depression and substance abuse. Eventually he felt life was no longer worth living and he killed himself. This is an extreme example of the ripple effect of an injury, but it did not end there. Think about how traumatized his little girl and wife must have been. Not all cases of poor judgment will result in this kind of tragedy, but there are almost always repercussions from injuries.”

Most people at a work-site will be inclined to follow safe procedures and wear proper personal protective equipment. Many people who would refuse to use an unsafe ladder at the work-site will go home and use a ladder that is unstable, broken or too short for the job. Often the result is injury. We have to realize that safety is a twenty-four hour a day concern.The safe work habits developed on the job must not be left at the office or in the locker along with the steel toe boots, hard hats and safety goggles. To do work, especially at home, safely we must seek help if we don’t know how to do so, use safety equipment and safeguards, pay attention to safety warnings on products and equipment, listen to good advice, recognize and control stress, concentrate and fix a hazardous condition when it is recognized.

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