POWER SAW INJURIES, CUTS AND LACERATIONS ARE THE MAIN TYPES
OF WORKPLACE INJURIES THAT DO NOT REQUIRE HOSPITAL ADMITTANCE
According to a recent report published by the Emergency Department of George Washington University, Cutting Accidents and Electric Saw Accidents account for more injuries to construction workers than any other accidents — in fact nearly twice as many workers are injured by electric saws than by any other form of machinery used by hardhat workers on job sites.
Out of a sample national universe of 2,916 injured construction workers used to extrapolate the report, 142 workers were involved in a machinery-related accident and of these 142 workers, 32 were injured by a power saw; 18 by a grinder; 17 by welding/soldering equipment; 13 by a crane; 10 by a forklift; 8 by a bobcat/front end loader; 7 by an air compressor; and 5 by an elevator.
Not surprisingly, the most commonly injured body parts, based on medical diagnoses, were the finger and thumb. Of the 2,916 injured construction accident cases, 616, or 21 percent of the sample, were treated for a finger or thumb injury; 411 for hand and wrist injuries; 314 for injury to the eye; 311 for injury to the forehead; 289 for ankle and foot injuries; 287 for a back injury; 251 for a knee, leg or hip injury; 219 for an elbow or forearm injury; 125 for a shoulder injury; 109 for an injury to the pelvis/trunk; 65 for injuries to the neck; and, 35 for multiple injuries.
The most common form of injury to a body part were lacerations by a ratio of more than 2-to-1. According to the report, many of those lacerations were the result of improper use or the malfunction of a power saw.
Despite the disproportionate number of workplace injuries caused by power saws and other cutting tools, falls from high places and Elevator Accidents continue to dominate the category of workplace accidents that require hospital care. Of the 105, of the 2,916 workers who were injured on the job and admitted to a hospital, 55 were injured by a fall followed by:
- 18 who were struck by, or thrown, against something;
- 12 due to electrical exposure;
- 4 by other workers; and 3 by overexertion
