General Industry
A Cut Hand, Not a Lost Afternoon
At a glance
- Injury:
- Cut on the back of the hand from a sharp metal edge
- Care provided:
- Assessment, wound cleaning, closure with strips, sterile dressing
- Outcome:
- Managed with first aid; employee continued working with minimal disruption
The situation
Partway through a shift at a distribution facility, an employee was moving stock on metal shelving when a sharp edge caught the back of their hand. The cut was gaping, and bled through a paper towel. The supervisor wasn't sure whether it could be handled on site or needed a trip to a clinic.
The response
The supervisor made one call, was given appropriate instructions, and a first-aid technician was dispatched to the worksite. Once the technician arrived, they assessed the cut, cleaned the wound thoroughly and successfully closed the laceration with strips, then covered the cut with a sterile dressing.
The outcome
The injury was managed with first aid, right on the worksite. At the employer's direction, the employee continued working with minimal disruption, and no coworker had to leave to drive them anywhere. The technician completed an incident report for the company's records.
Why it mattered
Closing a cut with strips takes experience most coworkers don't have. Because the employer had already added a mobile first-aid service to its Injury Action Plan, the injury was managed with first aid by the mobile first-aid service technician and stayed minor instead of becoming a bigger issue.
This is a composite scenario based on the types of calls first-aid technicians handle. Details have been changed and don't describe any specific person or company. Every injury is different.