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DO YOU HAVE YOUR INJURIES RECORDED?
Volume 50, No. 16, September 06, 2007 |
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Recently a member received several days excused duties due to a back complaint; how they received this injury was quite interesting but not surprising when the facts are considered.
Sneezing is the body’s way of removing an irritant or a foreign object from the nose. So how did a back complaint come about from sneezing? Simple, the body uses a multitude of muscles throughout the body to generate the power to expel a tremendous force of air through the nose or mouth. The speed at which this expelled air travels can exceed 100 kilometres an hour. The muscles involved are often referred to as involuntary muscles and they react without you even being aware of it. These muscles aid you in being able to walk and to maintain your balance. The motions of sneezing in this circumstance, the contracting and relaxing of these involuntary muscles and perhaps the intensity of the sneeze, placed a great deal of strain on the spine and this inflamed an old back injury.
The result of this sneeze (a non work related injury) was that the member was absent due to illness for several days. The original back injury; however, was a direct result of a workplace injury. Fortunately for this member, the original injury and its subsequent treatment was fully documented on their medical file. This information is invaluable to medical staff when treating recurrences.
Equally important is that this information allows delegates of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (MRCC), which is administered through the Department of Veteran Affairs, to make an informed decision when a claim for compensation is lodged.
If you have received a workplace injury, check that the injury and how it happened is recorded on your medical file – this will assist with any future compensation claim. Also ensure that an AC563 (Defence OHS Incident Report) is submitted as this too may be used as evidence to support a compensation claim. Finally, ensure that your unit submits an OHSIR (iaw ABR 6303 Chapter 6) so we have an accurate picture of when, where and why injuries occur, as this is the only way we can take steps to reduce the number of workplace injuries.
Next time you cover your mouth while you sneeze, don’t only think about the involuntary muscles forcing the air out of your nose and mouth at 100 km/h, also think about having your workplace injuries properly recorded. This will not only support any future compensation claims but it may help make our workplaces safer and reduce the number of injuries. |
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