As a construction worker, you likely spend a good deal of your time working on scaffolding, roofs and tall ladders. This puts you at high risk of falling, which, in turn, puts you at high risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury.
The Mayo Clinic advises that falls are the number one cause of TBIs. These potentially devastating injuries occur when your head violently hits a hard object, such as a floor or the ground. Even the best hard hat cannot protect your brain from “sloshing around” inside your skull and consequently sustaining injury.
TBI symptoms
One of the most frightening aspects of a TBI is that its symptoms may or may not exhibit themselves immediately after your fall. You may think you are fine and merely sustained a minor bump to your head. Do not lull yourself into a false sense of security, however, and forego immediate medical intervention. TBI symptoms such as the following can occur at any time:
- Sudden loss of consciousness or convulsions
- Dizziness and nausea, often causing vomiting
- Sudden and persistent headache
- Double or blurry vision
- Sudden and persistent tinnitus, i.e., ringing in your ears
Additional TBI symptoms you may notice days or weeks after your fall include the following:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty speaking or finding the right word at the right time
- Difficulty thinking or remembering
- Difficulty maintaining your balance while standing or walking
- Difficulty controlling your emotions, particularly feelings of anger or irritability
Immediate medical assessment required
Your wisest course of action after falling is to seek immediate medical intervention and assessment by a trained head trauma specialist. He or she can order the tests that diagnose a TBI and begin treatment at once if they confirm that you did, indeed, suffer a traumatic brain injury.
