A slight mistake can cost one dearly and leave them with regrets. This is exactly how one employee is feeling right now after making a grave mistake of not wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and trying to take shortcuts which cost him a head smash on a cement floor.
In this blog, I will discuss the importance of personal protective equipment if it is used effectively in the construction industry and the role of employers in preventing avoidable incidents.
An incident happened on a busy construction site which shouldn't have occurred if precautions had been taken. It was after heavy rains had stopped that everyone rushed back to their working stations to resume work. An employee had just arrived on site from a workshop where he had gone to collect steel plates when he realised he had forgotten the tools he was supposed to use to bend the steel plates which he needed for his job. Lazy to go back to the workshop to get the necessary equipment to bend the plate, he resorted to taking a short cut by trying to bend it himself.
He used his knee to try and bend the steel plate. Because of the wet floors and the power he had exempted while bending his body backwards to bend the steel, he slipped and fell backwards. When he fell, he hit his bare head on a cement floor.
The employee sustained an open wound in the head which was inflicted when he landed hard on the concrete floor. He also suffered dizziness and he was referred to a Neuro-surgeon just to ensure that he had not suffered any internal damages or injuries. The cost of the examination by the surgeon has not been confirmed yet but high chances are it will be a fortune.
He later went to see a doctor and costs accumulated to R 350,00. As one can expect, the doctor wrote a prescription to buy some medication at the pharmacy. The cost of the pharmacy bill accumulated to R 387,70 in total.
One positive thing was that, as the employee was given medical attention immediately, he was able to resume his duties the next day.
Even though no productivity days were lost according to the records, it is essential that such an incidence is used as an eye-opener and a lesson for both employees and employers. An investigation revealed that the employee was not wearing a safety helmet that could have protected his head. The impact of the incident would certainly have been less if he had worn it.
Employers are encouraged not only to provide safety wear but to also educate their employees about the importance of personal protective equipment in safeguarding their lives. They should emphasise that safety wear should be used correctly at all times during working hours regardless of unforeseen dangers. A construction site is a dangerous site hence protective wear should be effectively used always to reduce the intensity of injuries.
Employers or the person in charge of employees should inspect workers before commencement of every shift to ensure that they all have all the necessary equipment and wear in place. If an employee happen to have lost or forgot his or her wear at home, he or she should be exempted for duty until a replacement is offered.
The employee may be declared fine and fit to return to work but bumping one's head against concrete has long term effects. Because the brains are a delicate organ, the employee could suffer from subdural hematoma in the long run which occurs if brains are severely shaken. Such an employee should be subjected to a head x-ray in a couple of months.
It is just a helmet but it serves a huge purpose of safeguarding one of the most important body parts of a human, the head. Shortcuts are dangerous and costly, they should be seized.
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