Burns are physical-damaging and emotional-draining injuries for all employees. And it’s hard to avoid burns unless you happen to be wearing the right equipment at the right time.
It begs the question of how burns happen in the workplace and what employees can do in order to protect themselves from a lifetime of emotional and physical scars.
Three types of common burns in the office
Unfortunately, burns come from all kinds of situations, and the most prevalent causes for injuries include:
- Thermal burns – The heat causes these burns from liquids, open flames, hot objects and explosions. It’s the type that most people associated with scars or wound injures.
- Chemical burns – These burns often come from industrial cleaners or chemicals from manufacturing. And the ‘burns’ are acid that eats away at the skin and into the deeper tissue. It’s incredibly painful and dangerous if it comes into contact with the eyes or skin.
- Electrical burns – These injuries often come from contact between the body and electrical currents. The currents travel through the tissue and cause burn injuries. These are some of the most common burns in warehouses and other production plants.
Despite the cause of the burn, the injury will likely have significant effects on a person’s health and their mental state as they work through the recovery process. Luckily, there are a few ways to avoid these burns in the workplace.
For example, employees can avoid electrical burns by marking high-voltage areas and wearing protective equipment whenever necessary. If you want to avoid chemical burns, employers need to train their employees to handle the materials properly and include information on the chemicals themselves.
When it comes down to prevention, it depends on the employer to train and provide the right resources to their workers. If your employer doesn’t help you after a work-related burn injury, seek the compensation you need and deserve.