While there may be some flaws in the research, certainly very few people are arguing about the recent study that was published that showed a loose correlation between workers who had permanent disability due to a work-related accident and injury, and the overall life expectancy of such workers compared to those who were relatively healthy.

It is certainly moving along with some other research that has seemed to suggest similar things – that a worker who is no longer a worker may feel a sense of low self-worth and self-confidence and a lack of utility in the world. I started writing about this article that recapped the study in my last post, and now I want to move through the rest of the piece – which appeared in the May/June issue of OSH Canada magazine.

[Image courtesy of Flickr user gniliep via a Creative Commons license] Workers who find themselves in wheelchairs and not in the workforce anymore are at great risk for future mental and emotional issues after injury, but many current workers' compensation systems don't account for support after the benefits run out.

[Image courtesy of Flickr user gniliep via a Creative Commons license]Workers who find themselves in wheelchairs and not in the workforce anymore are at great risk for future mental and emotional issues after injury, but many current workers’ compensation systems don’t account for support after the benefits run out.

Case Study: Meet Steve

One example of what may happen, at least emotionally or mentally, following a devastating injury can be shared by Steve Mantis, who suffered a major injury 28 years ago when he lost an arm after his glove got caught in a winch. He was devastated initially, especially after a prosthetic technician told him he needed to find himself “a woman to take care of him for the rest of his life.” Steve said he didn’t know at that moment whether to cry, or to punch the guy.

He said he knew firsthand, and through friends who suffered smilar injuries, that people who lose their ability to work, especially the work they really enjoyed doing, tended to fall into isolation and depression, and it often adversely affected their families, friends and relationships with them.

The current workers’ compensation system, however, does not really track these workers after they suffer the debilitating initial injury, but some professionals would like to see the system upgraded so there can be an “aftercare” type program so that these people could be monitored for any mental health issues that may stem from losing the ability to work due to injury.

Mantis said that from his experience, and from the experience of others, the big key to surviving long after a major injury is to be mentally and emotionally engaged and active. Those who stay indoors and wallowed and isolated themselves from family and friends did wind up going to an early grave, while those who found ways to be active were those who made the most of life, found value and worth in living and have had productive life experiences since the injury.

Dominoes Fall

Right after a major injury and disability, there seems to be a string of negative consequences that follow. One of the first is pretty obvious – when someone isn’t working, he or she is not making any income, and thus has a high risk of falling into poverty.

There was a study related to this tha was published in March of this year that showed evidence that the poverty rate of post-injury workers was significantly higher than the general population, and that those who were in post-injury poverty reported more than one injury in the workplace and were less likely to return to work or even gain most of their earnings before the injury.

What seems to happen after that – though most of this is anecodtal reporting – is that as these workers fall into poverty and stay there longer, there seems to be a correlation to premature death among this popoulation because of the isolation, depression and lack of self-worth from not being a contributor to society like they were earlier in their lives.

The Bottom Line?

The point of this article is to bring out the reality that employers and workers’ compensation boards should not stop caring about workers after benefits run otu or after they are off the payroll. There have been some steps in Canada to try to reform the system so that these permanently disabled workers can get the support and help they need after an injury – especially the help they might need with mental or emotional issues that come from the reality of not being a healthy, productive, proud worker anymore.

Our work doesn’t end as safety officers with a worker off our line. We have a duty to try to keep workers safe and healthy on the worksite – we should feel a duty to check up on our former workers to make sure we are making ourselves and other resources available to those workers even whey are not working.  As safety officers, we are never off duty, and all workers are under our care – even when they are not at work, temporarily or permanently.