Burns are some of the most painful and terrible on-the-job injuries you can suffer — and the consequences can last for a lifetime.
What causes burn injuries in the workplace?
Some industries — like restaurant work — put some employees at greater risk of burns than others. Burns are commonly caused by things like:
- Grease fires
- Scalds from hot water
- Caustic chemicals
- Steam scalds
- Gas explosions
- Electrical issues
- Defective tools
Most of the time, burns happen because there is just a moment of inattention at the wrong time or a flaw in the equipment.
How are burn injuries treated?
Any severe burn — no matter how small — should be considered a serious issue that needs medical treatment. Once human skin is damaged by a burn, it can’t effectively do its job of preventing infections — and that’s one of the reasons that wound care is so important. Depending on how severe the injury is, the victim may need months of specialized hospital care, skin grafts, wound care and rehabilitation just to begin to heal.
In fact, researchers say that burn injuries need to be treated more like chronic diseases. The complications from a serious burn injury continue long after the initial wounds have healed — and new complications can arise at any time. Both the psychological and physiological aftershocks to a victim’s system can be tremendous.
Studies have linked burns with an increased likelihood of:
- Diabetes
- Nervous system disorders
- Cancer
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Cardiovascular disease
- Infections
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Depression
- Anxiety
These long-term conditions may be further complicated when a burn victim doesn’t have access to the full range of professional medical and mental health services available. That’s why it’s so important to pursue compensation for a burn injury whenever possible.
