The wind industry presents specific challenges when dealing with tool operator injuries. Because of remote locations and hazardous working conditions, it can often take hours for help to arrive once an injury occurs. Safety needs to be considered in every aspect of the job.
Hand Injuries: costly in many ways
Hand injuries, in particular, can be not only devastating to a worker, but also costly to a project budget. Worker compensation claims for hand injuries average around $7,500 per injury. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that approximately 110,000 hand injuries result in lost time.
Hand injuries send more than 1,000,000 workers to the emergency room each year. The construction industry requires the tightening of approximately 30,000 bolts per year, so if not done properly, the chance for hand and finger injuries is significant.
In the construction industry alone, the annual cost of hand cuts and punctures is around $400 million. When dealing with wind tower construction and maintenance specifically, these injuries most often include bruises, cuts, abrasions, punctures, fractures, and even amputations.
