Did you suffer from an internal injury on a construction site?

The construction industry can sometimes feel like a hazardous bed of various potential injuries just waiting to happen. Some of these injuries, such as internal injuries, can even have a potentially fatal impact.

Internal injuries can involve the abdomen, chest or even head. Most of these injuries on construction sites will come from penetrative or blunt-force trauma.

Penetrative Trauma

EHS Daily Advisor discusses the main reasons for serious or fatal injuries at the workplace. Penetrative trauma involves something piercing through the skin and entering the body. Both internal and external bleeding may occur. Projectiles and other penetrative objects can cause potentially catastrophic damage to the lungs, heart, brain, liver and other crucial organs.

Blunt Force Trauma

Blunt-force trauma, on the other hand, does not break the surface of the skin. However, you still have to worry about the possibility of internal bleeding. This type of accident is quite common at construction sites. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration actually lists it among the top four most fatal types of accidents in the industry.

Blunt-force trauma can happen due to many causes. This includes falling from a scaffold or ladder, colliding with a heavy piece of equipment or hitting yourself on a fixed or falling object.

It is important to seek immediate medical attention for both types of injuries, especially blunt force trauma where it is not always possible to see the full extent of damage that occurs. Never simply guess what an injury may be and instead get a professional medical opinion. Additionally, seek immediate medical care in the case of obvious crucial injury like impalement.