By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

We are all aware of how and where potential “serious” injuries can occur in the workplace and hopefully actions are taken to avoid those situations. Things like weight limits on lifting, guarding on machinery, wearing safety glasses and other personal protection equipment. But what about those seemingly innocent actions and movements, that are almost second nature to a person? The following are actual claims handled by our office.

An employee stopped to get the mail and slipped on black ice and snow resulting in an ankle fracture in three places and a shattered heel. Surgery was performed with plates and screws; and the employee remains disabled from work.

An employee jumped off the bed of a truck resulting in a heel and foot fracture. The employee has been referred to a specialist to see if surgery is necessary. The foot fracture was not noticed on the initial diagnostic testing. The employee remains disabled from work.

An employee was moving boxes with their foot; the box caught on something; the employee tripped over the box injuring the left knee and elbow.

An employee was bent over to put a box on a step and hit their head on a railing. Diagnosis was a concussion.

An employee tripped over a tote of parts injuring their face, knee and left wrist.

An employee threw a piece of scrap into a barrel – it “bounced” back and hit the employee in the face resulting in 9 sutures.

An employee tripped on a floor mat that was “bunched” and fell resulting in a fracture to their shoulder. A shoulder replacement was performed; permanent restrictions imposed.

An employee tripped over an extension cord resulting in an injury to their left hand, left shoulder and right knee. Diagnosis was a torn rotator cuff; surgery was performed; it re-tore and basically cannot be fixed. Permanent restrictions have been imposed. Fortunately, the employer is accommodating the restrictions so the employee is able to work.

An employee was cleaning the bathroom and hit their head on the bottom of a paper towel dispenser. Diagnosis was a concussion (not the employee’s first).

An employee jumped from an elevated (3 ft.) surface;
had steadied himself on a stack of drums; a drum fell on
employee’s leg resulting in a fracture to their leg and ankle.
Surgery was performed to insert a rod. The employee is not
healing and a bone graft may be performed. The employer is
not able to accommodate the restrictions of “sit down” work.

Some of these claims were medical only cases where there was minimal treatment and the employee returned to work. Others are serious and on-going with extensive medical treatment and indemnity payments being issued. None of these employees were truly negligent in what they were doing. However, in the matter of a minute an injury occurred. Complications arise if the injured person has co-morbidities, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis or a previous injury or surgery to the same part of the body. What if the injured worker is non-compliant in the recommended course of medical treatment? And that could be innocent as well, they just want to get back to work (or normal) so they are using the finger even though the doctor said not to use it. Not all employers can accommodate restrictions.

We all have to remind ourselves every day to do things in a safe manner. I, myself, will carry five grocery bags in each hand into the house to avoid extra trips – not the safest thing to do! Make safety your “culture”. All the cases listed above add up to a lot of dollars, time missed from work, and inconvenience (and pain) for the employee AND lost production for the employer.

An emergency action plan template can be found on the secure client portal login through the MTMIC website: www.mtmic.com/blog.

If you have any questions about an emergency action plan, contact your Loss Control Consultant.