Many fractures and strains happen during routine tasks, especially when workers rush, ignore pain, take shortcuts, or lift more than they can safely handle. Let’s talk about preventing these injuries and how to respond if they happen, so we can minimize pain and time recovering.
A fracture is a crack or break in a bone. You can crack or break a bone in a fall or if you’re in a struck-by or caught-between accident. Signs and symptoms of a fracture may include: severe pain, swelling, bruising, deformity or an unusual position of the limb, and difficulty or inability to move the injured area. In severe fractures, there can be bleeding or exposed bones. Fractures can also damage nearby muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and other tissues.
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. Strains often occur when a muscle or tendon is overstretched, overworked, or suddenly forced beyond its limits. Signs and symptoms can include: pain, tenderness, muscle spasms, swelling, weakness, and difficulty moving the affected joint or limb. In construction, strains are most common in the back, shoulders, neck, arms, and legs.
Preventing fractures and strains: Prevention is way better than healing. Preventing fractures is mostly about avoiding falls and struck-by or caught-between accidents. There’s more that you can do to prevent strains. Start by warming up before you start your work, especially if you’re doing a lot of lifting. Don’t push or pull too hard. Take short breaks to let your body recover. Break up long, repetitive tasks so you’re not repeating the same motion for long periods of time. Always use proper lifting techniques and ask for help when the load is awkward or too heavy. Break down heavy loads into smaller, more manageable parts.
First aid for a suspected strain: Stop the activity that caused the injury. Rest the injured area. Apply a cold pack, wrapped in a cloth, for 10 minutes every 2 hours to help reduce pain and swelling. Elevate the injured area if it’s practical and if doing so doesn’t increase the pain. Report the injury. See a doctor if the pain is severe, symptoms get worse, or your movement is significantly limited.
First aid for a suspected fracture: Stop work immediately and get professional medical help right away. Don’t move a worker at all if you suspect a neck, back, or spine injury, unless the worker is in immediate danger or an evacuation needs to happen. Keep the injured area as still as possible and don’t let the person put weight on, use, or move the injured bone. Don’t try to straighten a deformed limb. If bones are sticking out of the skin, call 911. Try to control severe bleeding with direct pressure but only if it can be done safely and without moving the exposed pieces of bone. If you’re trained, use a splint to stabilize the fracture and limit movement until medical help arrives.
SAFETY REMINDER
Don’t work through pain. A minor strain can become a more serious injury if it’s ignored. Get treatment.
Safety Meeting Outlines, Inc. Safety Meeting Outlines. Safety Meeting Outlines, Inc., www.safetymeetingoutlines.com/. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
