There are many risks that come along with working in an oil field. It’s a difficult job. Accidents happen and injuries can occur at any time. Workers know that there is a level of physicality here that can sometimes lead to injury, and it’s a risk they face each day when they clock in.
One of the issues that may occur is that an injury could become infected. An oil field can often be a very dirty and chaotic place to work. If you suffer a major cut or laceration, there’s a chance that it could become infected and may turn far more serious than it would have been otherwise. What signs should you look for to know if this is happening?
The condition gets worse
The biggest sign to keep an eye on is simply that your body is going to begin feeling worse, rather than healing. You may have expected the injury to heal in a few days or weeks, but instead, you just notice things like:
- Swelling
- Redness
- Heat
- Discharge
- Increased pain
- Red streaks
- Tenderness to the touch
- Swollen lymph nodes
Additionally, when an infection begins to spread throughout the body, it can lead to a fever as your body attempts to fight it off. In some cases, infections can cause an extreme immune response, which could result in sepsis. This is a very dangerous condition that, if not treated properly in a hospital, can be fatal.
In other words, it’s very important to know that an injury could get worse and more complicated with time. If you see this happening, you need medical care, and you need to know about all of your legal options to seek compensation for that care.