When you work construction, you face a very high risk of sustaining an on-the-job injury, particularly to your head. Why? Because falls represent the number one cause of traumatic brain injuries and your risk of falling increases every time you work on a roof, scaffold or tall ladder.
The Mayo Clinic explains that a traumatic brain injury occurs when you fall far enough and hard enough that your head hits the floor, ground or other hard object with tremendous force. Even when you wear a safety helmet, it cannot sufficiently protect your head and neck from violently jerking back and forth on impact, thus causing your brain to do likewise inside your skull.
TBI immediate effects
Unfortunately, you may not even realize that you sustained a TBI because symptoms may not occur until hours, days or weeks after your fall. Some people, however, experience one or more of the following immediately following a TBI:
- Unconsciousness
- Convulsions
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blurry or distorted vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Difficulty balancing and walking
TBI long-term effects
Your TBI can result in any number of disabilities, both temporary and permanent, depending on which areas of your brain sustain injury and the extent thereof. For instance, TBIs often cause one or more of the following:
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
- Mobility impairment
- Cognitive impairment
- Speech impairment
- Emotional control impairment
Given the possible catastrophic consequences of a TBI, your wisest strategy whenever you hit your head, or something hits it, consists of seeking immediate medical attention. A head trauma specialist can assess your injury and your symptoms, if any, and schedule the tests used to diagnose TBIs. If you indeed sustained one, the sooner your doctor begins treatment, the better your chances of minimizing the damage to your brain.
