It was only yesterday that a lawyer friend of mine sat me down to talk about the dangers of paper cuts.
He seemed only too enthusiastic to show me a deep paper cut on his hand that didn’t look too comfortable, although I found his over-the-top sensitivity to paper-related injuries to be rather amusing – especially coming from a self-professed tough guy.
Two coffees and a poor attempt at laughing it off later – apparently jokes about manliness losing its relevance in the modern office are “not funny” – and I was still mulling over the possibilities of workplace injuries.
My own work’s quarterly OH&S updates have taught me a thing or two about repetitive strain injury (RSI), the range of burns a humble kitchen kettle can produce and a genuine need to avoid flying objects.
(The last item may refer to any number of projectile-like-missiles from stress balls to pens that for reasons still unknown to most people nearly always end up hitting someone in the head or causing someone to break a finger.)
But there is actually serious information out there on this very subject. For example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that fractures, chronic joint or muscle conditions, sprains, bruises and crushing, abrasions, stress, amputations, burns – and, yes, paper cuts – are all on the top ten list for workplace injuries.
Yet a few simple steps – such as taking out income protection insurance and avoiding slippery steps – may help office workers to manage the risks associated with life in the urban jungle.
In the event that a pesky paper cut leaves you out of commission and unable to work for any length of time, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be able to meet your financial commitments until you can get back in the saddle.
