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Q82 - Hammer Meet Thumb
Question: An employee is building crates for a warehouse and strikes his thumb with a hammer. The thumb is contused, and a couple days later, the thumb nail is suffering from the pressure of swelling. The employee is taken to an occupational health clinic where a doctor drills the thumb nail to relieve the pressure. The doctor also instructs the employee on how to take over-the-counter ibuprofen. The employee does not miss any work as a result of the incident. Is it recordable?
Answer: NO. Drilling a fingernail to relieve pressure and over the counter ibuprofen are first aid treatments.
What is "first aid"? For the purposes of Part 1904, \"first aid\" means the following:
1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(A)
Using a non-prescription medication at nonprescription strength (for medications available in both prescription and non-prescription form, a recommendation by a physician or other licensed health care professional to use a non-prescription medication at prescription strength is considered medical treatment for recordkeeping purposes);
Drilling of a fingernail or toenail to relieve pressure, or draining fluid from a blister;
