Work Safety Is Everybody's Responsibility. ^^;

[Skane]

Work accidents happen all the time. Most are usually minor, even non-consequential. Sometimes though, it goes to the next level and the person is physically incapacitated in some manner for days, if not weeks.

I returned to work yesterday after a week of leave clearance (I don't usually claim leave, so I gave my boss permission to clear it whenever she wants), and in my rush to push an equipment aside in order to make some space on a table, I failed to notice that the crew had not locked the safety pin in place and caught two of my fingers in the slicer blades.

When I saw my fingers, it was like a scene from some cliché samurai "final cut" scene. A thin red line around the cut, then sudden bleeding.

The following is a dramatisation of what went through my mind.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt. Don't panic."
*bleed* *bleed* *bleed*
"OMG! I'm bleeding! Calm down! Calm down! Don't alarm the crew..."
*bleed* *bleed* *bleed*
"*censored* Think! First Aid! What do I need to do? Rinse wound. Compression. Seek medical help. Hand over shift to next in command."
*bleed* *bleed* *bleed*

As I was in the back area, nobody else was around me when it happened, so when a crew finally came by, I had already washed most of the blood off. It was also the crew's very first day on the job, and so I cracked a joke at him about how I wasn't giving a good impression of the job scope.

Thinking back, I think I joked about it then not only to keep him calm, but also to keep myself calm, because Aiur knows it was tempting to just freak out.

I got the crew to help me get some clean napkins for me so that I could apply compression to the wound and try to stop the bleeding. Getting to my feet (I was on my knees at this point), I walked to my trainee co-manager (still unaware) and bluntly told her that I was sorry, but I need to go to the clinic now.

Seeing the blood-soaked napkins, she caught on quick and understood. Continuing, I walked out and made my way to the clinic, alone.

Now, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Gives you perfect clarity on almost anything. I made a colossally stupid mistake in not having a person accompany me to the clinic. Half-way to the clinic, I started to lose vision in my eyes, and my body was starting to feel like lead. Blessed be that I managed to bump into a man who agreed to help me to the clinic.

Reaching the clinic, the doctor quickly plopped me onto a bed and scolded me for being a dumbass in trying to come alone. Well okay, she didn't actually say that, but the implication was there. Apparently my body was freaking out physically from the injuries and causing blood to drain out of my head. Lying down on the bed, blood began to circulate back into my head and I felt much better.

After treating my injuries, the doctor offered me painkillers, but I declined, and I think... that was another mistake I made. Acutely so.

I was not to change the dressing until tonight, and I decided to change it myself, having experience in hands-on first aid on my crew multiple times. It wasn't until much later that I asked myself... How do I dress my hands... without my hands?

Well blimey. It's not as though I have experience in this often. Forgive a guy for not thinking it through.

Fortunately, my mother was home and being a head nurse with 40+ years of experience, I sought her help in changing my dressings. After examining me, she then told me two things.

1) The clinic doctor had not applied the dressing properly. The wound had clotted with the dressing, causing it to be ensnared together.
2) This being home treatment, no anaesthetic (WHY DIDN'T I TAKE THE PAINKILLERS!).

Now my dear mother, bless her heart; while very loving with her children, is also a very straight-forward no-nonsense woman. Without beating around the bush, she told me that the dressing had to be removed, clot or no clot (read, rip it off).

I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. I'll admit it, I'm no commando. The sensation I felt as she took off the old dressing was out of this world. I gurgled on my scream, my muscles tensed from the epic pain, and it really felt like nails being driven through my fingers.

"Stop being a wuss."

Bless her, and yes, she really did say that, word for word.

Burying my face onto my elbow, I let her work the new dressing onto my fingers as she lectured me on being careless. When it was finally done, my hands were numb and locked. I staggered to my bed and laid down till I could feel my hands again.

In four days time, I will need to change the dressing again. Adun save me.

So friends, let this be a cautionary tale that accidents do happen. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Get a buddy to help you, and painkillers are your friends.

Thanks for reading this. I wanted to share what happened to me because I tend to feel better when I put my plight under a light-hearted spin.

The worst part about having injured fingers? I can't play computer games! ARRGGGHHHH! Typing with my ring finger is excruciating.

Cheers.

[Ahiru77]

I'm sorry this happened to you.
Sure hope this never happens to me or anyone else, but thanks for the warning.

Take care of that hand now.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Skane

Work accidents happen all the time. Most are usually minor, even non-consequential. Sometimes though, it goes to the next level and the person is physically incapacitated in some manner for days, if not weeks.

I returned to work yesterday after a week of leave clearance (I don't usually claim leave, so I gave my boss permission to clear it whenever she wants), and in my rush to push an equipment aside in order to make some space on a table, I failed to notice that the crew had not locked the safety pin in place and caught two of my fingers in the slicer blades.

When I saw my fingers, it was like a scene from some cliché samurai "final cut" scene. A thin red line around the cut, then sudden bleeding.

Dude...

When I got to those two bolded words, I winced momentarily, thinking the worst... In a way, you're lucky that it's just very painful cuts and copious bleeding.

Thanks for sharing what is always golden advice, though, and rest well.

Besides, Dragon Age 2 will still be around once your fingers get better.

[Tsuyoshi]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Dude...

When I got to those two bolded words, I winced momentarily, thinking the worst... In a way, you're lucky that it's just very painful cuts and copious bleeding.

Seconded.

I hope things will get better for you, and since you've been able to type that much, it seems as if they are, so do take care and thanks for the warning. Industrial injuries really are quite painful.

[Alchemist007]

Get better, I know the pain you're talking about and...

[ganbaru]

I am used to get small wounds to my hand at work ( a kitchen in rush time isn't the safest workplace) but I got maybe one time somesthing of the same ''level'' than you got ( being careless one second too much using a meat slicer... ). The most important thing is to stay calm, ask for help and to think before doing something.

About painkiller, I wouldn't use them as my injury aren't usualy bad enough to need them.

[Skane]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

~~ Besides, Dragon Age 2 will still be around once your fingers get better.

Haha... funny thing that. That one week leave I had? I used it to complete Dragon Age 2. You can read some of my thoughts on that game in the relevant thread in the Game Sub-Forum here.

Originally Posted by ganbaru

~~ About painkiller, I wouldn't use them as my injury aren't usualy bad enough to need them.

That was my initial thought too, but I found out that the nailbed is a really sensitive area. The slicer blades basically sliced off my fingernails and parts of the top layer of the nailbed (it was a horizontal cut, rather than a vertical one), hence my comparison to nails through my fingers description when the old dressing had to be removed.

I'm a people supervisor. I don't chew steel-bolts and fart awesome as I pump iron in military gear. My pain threshold is what you would call... average. I normally deal with pain through humour.

Cheers.

[SaintessHeart]

You ok? I suggest that you change the dressing often if there is rust or oil on the slicer blades - infected wounds aren't funny.

Meanwhile, you can take a break from DA2 and watch youtube walkthroughs.

[Jinto]

We have to protocol every tiny (and not so tiny) injury at work. Because the insurance will not pay if it turns out to have dire consequences and the incident was not protocolized.

Of course in a case of an acute emergency the protocol can wait.

We also have dedicated first responders on each floor. But we never needed their help yet (crossing fingers).

[mindovermatter]

The hands have a lot of capalaries so they tend to blead a lot. The good news though, is that if it was a clean cut as you described it will probably heal fast. I sliced my thumb on a new knife once, and it was bad enough that they wanted to call the ambulance, but since it was a streight cut it stopped bleeding after a few minutes of pressure and healed nicely.
I didn't really grasp the scope of your story until you said that you almost passed out. It's a crappy feeling, I know. I passed out the first time I gave blood (I lied about my age, so it served me right).
You're very lucky that the wound wasn't worse, and that you have your own nurse at home. Feel better

[Kyuu]

Gee. Just a couple weeks ago, I had two wisdom teeth pulled out. It wasn't all that painful -- thanks to a combination of anaesthetic (sp?), pain meds., and good old fashioned laughing gas (nitrous oxide). Reading your story, dental extractions are a cake walk.

At the same time, once I read "fingers cut", that made me queasy. So, y'get an "oh my lord" comment from me.

Thankfully, you do have a good mom. So, three cheers for good moms.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Sometimes i wanna "purposely" injure someone just so I won't see them for a week or 2 >.>