Southern California Workers’ Compensation Blog

Three ways people can suffer a brain injury on the job

On Behalf of | Mar 16, 2022 | Workers Compensation

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can create a shockingly broad range of different symptoms. Some people require life support after a severe TBI, while others develop issues with their equilibrium or sensory issues, like blurry vision.

Brain injuries don’t just present differently in different people. They can also result from a number of workplace experiences. What are some of the ways that a worker could injure their brain on the job?

Through chemical exposure or oxygen deprivation

Whether someone works in cold produce storage or swims on the job, they could experience a lack of oxygen that causes damage to their brain. Either through the inhalation of dangerous chemicals or exposure to a low-oxygen environment could lead to a TBI.

Through proximity to explosions

An explosion in the workplace puts workers at risk in two different ways. One is through percussive force, which can easily cause bleeding or bruising of the brain. The other is through the creation of the shrapnel, as penetrating injuries to the skull can also cause serious TBIs.

Through blunt force trauma

If someone falls or gets struck in the head by a piece of machinery, the impact on their head could cause a TBI. Even violent motions caused by a machinery malfunction or a car crash at work could force the brain to move around in the skull and lead to a TBI.

Someone doesn’t have to hit their head for their brain to suffer an injury. Realizing that can help a worker get the treatment and workers’ compensation benefits they need for a job-related TBI.