Fatal work accidents are on the rise in this country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), with its latest report warning of a 5.7% jump in fatal work injuries in 2022. From the BLS: “A worker died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury in 2022 compared to 101 minutes in 2021.”
Among the greatest dangers facing industrial workers: accidents involving objects (like tools) or equipment on the jobsite. The risk of dying for these types of work injuries is also rising. According to the BLS, worker deaths caused by contact with objects and equipment increased 4.7% in a single year (2021 to 2022), and this was the highest count for this type of accident since 2018.
Workers in Indiana and Illinois need to be aware of the rising danger of fatal work injuries caused by accidents involving objects like hand tools or power tools on the job.
And one of the greatest hazards in working with most industrial tools involves something as simple as a cut. Cuts from blades or sharp edges can cause life-altering harm or death, sometimes in a matter of seconds.
Dangerous Tools and Cut Accidents
Industrial hand tools and power tools are often dangerous for various reasons. The power sources of a drill or grinder, for instance, also come with injury hazards. However, some tools on our construction, warehousing, metalworking, manufacturing, agri-business, steel, and maritime industrial worksites bring a recognized risk of serious cuts that endanger the lives of the workers tasked with using them. Read, Infamously Dangerous Power Tools: Angle Grinders, Chainsaws, Table Saws, Lathes.
Among the most dangerous industrial tools for cut accidents are:
- Box cutter
- Circular saw
- Chain saw
- Hacksaw
- Metal shears
- Pneumatic cut-off tool
- Razor knife
- Rebar cutter
- Table saw
- Tin snips.
For more, read “The 5 Most Dangerous Tools, And How To Use Them Safely,” written by Doug Mahoney and published by Popular Mechanics on October 8, 2008; and Hand and Power Tools, OSHA Publication 3080.
Cuts or Lacerations in Tool Accident
From a medical perspective, cuts are also known as lacerations. They involve any kind of opening in the skin caused by something external (like a saw, a knife, a screwdriver, etc.). Sometimes, cuts on the job are minor, or ‘superficial.” These minor injuries can be painful and irritating. They may even cause the worker to take some time off from work to recover.
However, it is the more severe cuts or lacerations that can result in catastrophic harm. Cuts can be sudden and deep, injuring muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, internal organs, and even bones.
These are called “sharp force injuries.” Cuts of this nature are divided into three groups, all of which are the cause of “relatively well-defined traumatic separation of tissues.” They are either: chop wounds; incised wounds; or stab wounds.
For more, read “Cuts and Puncture Wounds: Causes, Complications, and Prevention,” written by April Kahn and published by Healthline on November 1, 2019; and “Forensic Autopsy of Sharp Force Injuries,” written by Jospeh A. Prahlow, MD, et al. and published by Medscape on December 22, 2022.
The deadly dangers of serious cuts include the risk of bleeding, the risk of shock, and the risk of infection. There is also the risk of traumatic amputation.
Bleeding from Cuts in Work Accidents
When someone is cut while using a tool on an industrial worksite, there may be external bleeding with lots of immediate blood loss on the worksite. There can also be significant internal bleeding, where blood is released into the body cavity.
External bleeding is visible blood loss, called hemorrhaging. An accident victim can also face the risk of dying from internal bleeding, where the blood loss is not obvious to accident witnesses, known as exsanguination.
A worker cut in a work accident is at risk of death within 3 to 5 minutes after sustaining the injury due to blood loss alone. This is especially hazardous if the cut has resulted in the traumatic amputation of a finger, toe, hand, etc.
However, there is another deadly danger involving cuts and bleeding. Any cut can expose the work accident victim to the danger of going into shock.
This is called “hemorrhagic shock,” and it endangers the worker of dying from the shock itself independently of the blood loss caused by the cut. This happens when the loss of blood decreases the ability of the body to transport oxygen, endangering cardiac output.
For more, read “Bleeding to Death: What Does It Feel Like, How Long Does It Take, and Am I at Risk?” written by Kimberly Holland and published by Healthline on July 28, 2018.
Also see: Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents.
Infection from Cuts in Work Accidents
The tool or object involved in the cut accident can cause severe bodily injury or death even if the cut itself is not that deep. This is because the tool (including the screws, nails, blades, guards, etc.) is far from sterile and can insert all kinds of dangerous materials or chemicals into the body.
This exposure can result in things like:
- Sepsis, or infection of the blood itself that results in deadly septic shock
- Gangrene, or death of body tissue caused by bacterial infection
- Permanent damage to the nerves surrounding the area of injury
- Permanent damage to any internal organs near the area of injury
- Loss of use of limb or amputation necessitated by the infection.
Worker Safety Plans for Cut Accidents
No matter the size or scope of the worksite, all workers in Illinois and Indiana are owed a legal duty of care and safety on the job. Employers and others with possession, custody, and control of aspects of the workplace must make all reasonable efforts to protect workers from harm. This includes not only protecting workers from being cut in a tool accident, but having plans and procedures in place to help any worker who suffers by being cut by any kind of tool while on the job.
There should be safety plans in place as well as ready access to emergency medical supplies and worker training for any work accident involving a cut.
These things should include things like:
- Easily located emergency contact numbers for medical treatment (like EMS);
- Readily available medical supplies that include alcohol wipes; antiseptic washes; antibiotic cream; bandages; gauze; blankets; and pads of sufficient size and structure to allow for covering the extent of the cut and applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding; and
- Training for all workers to recognize that a worker needs immediate medical care from a cut when suffering things like (1) exposure of muscle, tendon, bone, etc. from the cut; (2) loss of feeling or numbness anywhere near the site of the cut; (3) heavy bleeding; (4) blood that is spurting from the wound; or (5) any bleeding that doesn’t stop after ten minutes of pressure being applied to the cut wound.
No matter how minor the cut may appear, emergency medical treatment should be provided to any worker cut by a tool on the job if the cut involves something that carries a high risk of exposure to bacteria or toxins. Even a cut caused by a loose nail can be very serious if the worker has not had a tetanus shot in the past ten years.
Claims for Justice After Serious Tool Accident and Cut Injury on the Job
After a severe or fatal work accident where the worker suffers a serious cut while working with a tool on the jobsite, the first priority must be to addressing immediate physical, psychological, emotional, and financial harms that have resulted from the incident. However, under the state laws of Illinois and Indiana, as well as federal law in instances where it applies, the worker victim will have the additional burden of undertaking any pursuit for justice after the tool accident. Legal deadlines will apply here. Read, Deadlines for Injury Victims to File Lawsuits: Statutes of Limitations.
Claims for justice must be investigated on behalf of the worker-victim independently of any undertakings by the employer or insurance company adjusters whose policies may provide coverage over the incident. Each case deserves its individual respect. Experts are often needed to fully understand the scope of responsibility after a severe, catastrophic, or deadly tool cutting accident.
The failure to keep tools sharp as well as properly stored or monitored for flaws, failures, or recalls, can result in a deadly cut accident. Defective tools with blades are extremely dangerous and should not be used on the worksite. Several different individuals and entities may have legal responsibility in these matters.
For more, read:
- Workplace Housekeeping and Serious Accidents on the Job: Duty of Care
- When Tools Are to Blame for Serious Work Accidents: Who’s Responsible? Product Liability
- Premises Liability and Workplace Accidents: Third Party Injury Claims
- Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims for On-the-Job Accidents
- Hurt by a Defective Product in Indiana or Illinois: Recalls and Failings
- Work Accident in Illinois or Indiana: Workers Compensation Claim vs. Personal Injury Damages.
Damages may be available to the worker victim and their loved ones that include things like medical expenses; rehabilitation costs; psychological treatment; lost wages; disfigurement; disability; pain and suffering; loss of consortium; and more.
See:
- Internal Injuries After an Accident Can Be Silent and Deadly
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
- Loss of Consortium Damages in Illinois or Indiana Work Accidents
- Loss of Earning Capacity Damages After Accident in Illinois or Indiana
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life.
Tool accidents where the worker victim is cut are particularly horrific when there is serious blood loss on the worksite. This can be true for even minor cuts or lacerations. However, serious cuts can kill, and death can arrive in a matter of minutes. Please be careful out there!
