Hand injuries are relatively common in the workplace. In fact, an article published in Occupational Health and Safety (https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2020/02/01/A-New-Year-of-Hand-Safety.aspx) calls to attention a statistic from the U. S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics: more than 43 percent of non-fatal occupational injuries to upper extremities in 2018 involving days away from work in private industry, involved hands. In other words, if you’ve hurt your hand at work, you are not alone!
"I hurt my hand at work!" It happens every day, and it’s important to seek medical attention any time you injure your hand or wrist, including on the job. If the injury is severe, including if there is heavy bleeding or severing of fingers, etc, seek emergency help right away. After caring for emergency situations, seek prompt medical care by expert hand specialists who can help prevent your injury from becoming more serious. This also increases the likelihood of getting the best outcome.
Midwest Hand Surgery offers urgent treatment for injuries that require a specialist’s prompt attention. Our team regularly handles workers’ compensation hand injuries.
If you hurt your hand at work, report the injury to your employer as soon as possible. Employers will likely require the completion of paperwork documenting the incident.
Depending on the injury you sustained to your hand, you may be required to rest, wear a splint, undergo surgical repair, hand therapy, or other treatments. After finding a reputable hand specialist, like Midwest Hand Surgery, be sure to strictly follow the recommended course of treatment. Following these instructions can mean the difference in an optimal and suboptimal outcome.
Along the course of treatment, you may be asked for an IME (Independent Medical Evaluation), which is used to resolve questions about your medical condition. The Midwest Hand Surgery team can help with this process as well. Visit https://www.midwesthand.com/workers-comp/workers-comp#IME to start the process of scheduling and IME.
Getting hurt at work can be scary and stressful. It helps to know the steps to take if an injury does occur and to seek treatment from medical experts that know how to handle the situation. If you’ve sustained an injury to the hand or risk while on the job, please contact our team of specialists at Midwest Hand Surgery. We are here to help.
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Any time you hurt your hand at work, there are certain steps that are important to take. Read more about informing your employer and getting treatment.
