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Metal Brace
Question:
An employee jams his finger at his workstation. He is evaluated by the site nurse who places the finger in a metal split and tapes it. The nurse gives the employee OTC ibuprofen and time to ice before returning to work. The employee does not miss any time and continues to full duty the next day while continuing to take OTC ibuprofen and ice pack treatments. Four days later, the nurse removes the splint. The injury was not evaluated by an occupational health doctor and was fully treated in house.
Answer: YES. While the employee never saw an occupational health doctor, the nurse did apply a metal splint, which is recognized as rigid immobilization which, in turn, making this a recordable injury.
1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(F) Using any non-rigid means of support, such as elastic bandages, wraps, non-rigid back belts, etc. (devices with rigid stays or other systems designed to immobilize parts of the body are considered medical treatment for recordkeeping purposes);