What You Should Do if You Accidentally Staple Yourself
In many cases, the risk of injury from a typical office stapler is relatively low, but injuries can still occur and with heavy duty staplers, the risk of an accident is much higher. If you puncture your skin, it is important to know the correct protocol.
What Can Cause Staple Accidents
Before going into what to do when accidents occur, you need to know the dangers of handling staplers. Knowing this can help you avoid dangerous situations and prevent accidental injuries from happening.
Issues With Firing
These can occur when there is a jam in the staple clip or ejector. This can result from malformed staples or a clip with loose staples. When firing is an issue, people may try to dislodge the ejector using their finger, resulting in a misfire that can puncture the skin.
Distractions
While stapling, distractions may take your attention away from your own work. Whether someone starts talking to you, you hear a loud and unexpected noise, or you simply look away, you’re not paying attention to the task at hand. In these cases, you might accidentally staple yourself or others.
Proper Procedures After Accidental Injury
As much as we try to avoid them, injuries happen. If you or someone else becomes hurt, there are a number of crucial steps you should take to mitigate the damage and control the situation.
When You Should Call 911
Before anything, you need to determine whether the injured person is in immediate danger and needs critical medical attention. Look for these signs:
Excessive bleeding at the point of injury
Bleeding that doesn’t stop after ten minutes of firm pressure
A staple lodged in the chest, abdomen, or neck
Symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, shortness of breath, or unconsciousness
A staple stuck in the eye or throat
Noticeable rust or corrosion on the staple
When You Should Remove the Staple
For larger staples that have longer prongs, you may want to leave it in place and seek immediate medical attention. With longer staples, you don’t know if it traveled deep enough to harm muscle tissue, veins, or bone. With smaller staples, you could possibly remove it and not suffer serious injury.
Stop the Bleeding
If you do remove the staple and bleeding occurs, then you must apply firm and direct pressure to the puncture point. You must do this with sterilized gauze or a clean cloth until the bleeding stops or medical emergency technicians arrive.
Clean the Wound
If the wound does not require the aid of emergency medical technicians, then you need to follow up by properly cleaning the wound. Run the puncture wound under water for several minutes and clean it with antibacterial soap. Repeat this process one more time to thoroughly clean the wound.
Protect the Wound
Once you have rinsed out the wound, apply antibiotic cream to the affected area for further protection against infection. For the final step, wrap your injury in a sterilized bandage to protect it from dirt, pathogens, and other injuries.
Treat the Pain
Before taking medication to treat your pain, you should contact your doctor for their professional recommendation. The typical solution includes taking either ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Follow up With Your Recovery
After you have treated your wound, you need to contact a healthcare provider to ensure that there are no harmful side effects to your injury. Signs of redness, swelling, increased pain, or pus at the point of injury can indicate a possible infection and should be treated immediately. You should also ask if a tetanus shot should be administered to prevent serious infection.
Practice Safety With Staplers
Take the necessary steps, whether before injury or after, to protect yourself and others from injury and infection. Remain calm and assess the situation. Contact emergency services if the wound is serious.
Have the Safest Tools for the Job
Whether you’re working with a regular office stapler or you need something more heavy duty for a tougher job, ensure that you purchase the best possible equipment. This is one of the best safety tips when working with staplers. Staple Headquarters offers a wide selection of staplers, staple guns, and nail guns to aid in any project you take on. Work with reliable tools to decrease your chances of injury.
