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Construction workers and head injuries: Why such a high risk?

On Behalf of | Mar 22, 2021 | Workplace Accidents |

As a construction worker, you likely perform many of your jobs while perched on a roof, scaffold or tall ladder. Consequently, you face a serious risk of falling, severely injuring your head when you do.

The Mayo Clinic lists falls as the number one cause of traumatic brain injuries. In this type of injury, your head impacts the ground or other hard surface with such force that your brain “sloshes around” in your skull. Your resulting brain injuries could be catastrophic and leave you disabled for life.

Immediate symptoms

No two TBIs are alike. Therefore, you may or may not experience one or more of the following symptoms immediately after your accident:

  • Blurry or distorted vision
  • Difficulty balancing or walking
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Ringing in your ears
  • Unconsciousness
  • Convulsions

Long-term consequences

Unfortunately, your TBI can lead to numerous impairments, including the following:

  • Visual problems
  • Speech problems
  • Hearing problems
  • Cognitive problems
  • Mobility problems
  • Emotional stability problems

Depending on the severity of these problems, you could be off work for a substantial period of time while recovering. In a worst case scenario, you may never be able to return to work.

Given your risk of sustaining a TBI in a fall, your wisest strategy consists of obtaining immediate emergency medical intervention whenever you receive a head injury, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you at the time. The sooner a head trauma specialist assesses your injuries and runs the appropriate diagnostic tests, the sooner he or she can begin treatment if you indeed suffered a TBI. This immediate treatment represents your best chance of minimizing the damage your TBI could cause.

 

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