Power tools and workplace machinery help protect workers’ bodies. They reduce the amount of bodily damage that results from the physical labor that an individual has to perform. Power tools and machinery can make quick work of otherwise labor-intensive tasks.
Using a high-power screwdriver to put in decking screws causes far less strain on the hands and forearms than manually using a screwdriver. It will take a few seconds, rather than a minute or more, to secure each individual screw. The reduction in bodily strain is obvious.
There are power tools and machines available for all kinds of manual work functions, and most of these devices will help workers. However, the more frequently someone has to use tools or machines that cause vibrations, the higher their risk of developing vibration-related injuries.
What does vibration potentially do to your body?
Vibrations can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. While many people think of office workers when they think of carpal tunnel syndrome, many people who work in construction or manufacturing professions also develop carpal tunnel syndrome because of the vibrations they experience on the job.
Long-term, frequent use of vibrating tools can leave to carpal tunnel syndrome just like constant typing. In fact, even if someone doesn’t develop diagnosable carpal tunnel syndrome, the vibrations from tools at work could still reduce their strength and range of motion in their hands and forearms while contributing to chronic pain symptoms.
Workers may have decreased grip strength or increased fatigue symptoms from doing the same job they have performed for years because of the damage caused by vibrating tools and machinery.
How workers’ compensation helps
If you develop a vibration-related injury to your hands or forearms, you may need time off of work to recover. You may also require medical treatment, including physical therapy or surgery. Some workers with injuries caused by vibration will have to change professions so that they don’t continue hurting themselves. They might receive partial disability benefits to help supplement their reduced earning potential because of their injury.
Too many workers fail to connect with workers’ compensation benefits because they don’t understand that the symptoms they have could lead to benefits. Learning more about the injuries that qualify for workers’ compensation benefits can help workers coping with pain and reduced functionality at work.