Accident Victim Interview - Essay Example

Occupational Injury An illness or an injury becomes an occupational injury if an incident or contact in an occupation setting eithercontributed or triggered the consequential ailment or significantly intensified an already existing illness. In other words, an occupational injury is any damage or wound to the human body occasioning from an incident within the occupation environment. Examples of occupational injuries include skin disorders, which are ailments relating to the employees skin that are triggered by work contact to plants chemicals or other substances.

Another example are respiratory disorders that are ailments allied to inhaling lethal biological chemicals, agents, gases, dust, fume or vapors at work(Reese 2008). Others include disorders contracted from poisoning by non standard dilutions of toxic matters in blood, other bodily fluids, other tissues or the inhalation that are triggered by the absorption or ingestion of toxic bodies into the human body. This paper will illustrate an interview with a victim of an occupational illness.On December 20, 2011, about 11:56 p.m., Graham John sustained serious, but non-fatal, injuries to his arms and legs when he was transporting coal.

This took place when an eastbound transportation coal train consisting of 2 locomotives and 100 cars laden with coal, unsettled the lead 22 automobiles at signpost 12.9 on the Old Main Line Section in Ellicott City, Maryland. Seven of the 22 tumbled into an open bay area 15 feet beneath track level at the northern side. Other laden coal cars engaged in the derailment upended, dribbling their matter alongside the northern side of the trajectory (Reese 2008). The nature of his injuries with disabling condition included a sprained back, several cuts on some fingers and the arms, and a broken leg.

The sprained back and broken leg was a result of the motion impacted when the derailment occurred, while the laceration on the fingers and the arms was due to the broken glasses shattered all round (Reese 2008).Graham’s injuries made him take a leave of absence from work for about two months. During the two months, Graham underwent a rehabilitation process for one month to aid him with the treatment and recovery from the ordeal. Some of the activities he undertook included therapist sessions and exercise sessions for the sprained back and the broken leg (Reese 2008).

In conclusion, OSHA has standards that define certain types of accidents that should be reported to OSHA within 8 hours of their occurrence. They include all work fatalities, all cases that resulted in admittance of more than three persons to hospitals. Graham incident did result in an OSHA visit because Graham’s injuries fell under OSHA’s recordable cases. The incident resulted in Graham’s work and motion restriction and had him seek further medical treatment other than first aid. Graham reported to work under very strict and specific restrictions where he was assigned another job temporarily.

He also did not work on weekends and on holidays. Graham was allowed to complete his regular job in less than full-time or he could complete the regular job full time and not complete all the duties like compiling and handing in a work day report (Reese 2008).ReferencesReese, C. (2008). Occupational Health and Safety Management: A Practical Approach. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.