Theater student sues Waynesburg College over injury

ok. wow. thats all i have to say on that article. and on the burn subject i had a blonde moment and grabbed a hot shutter. let's just say i didn't have use of those fingers for about 2-3 weeks. that was fun... not! it was more of a pain in the ass than anything. it was my own stupidity that got me burned so i take responsability for it. i've also had two gashes down the palm of hand from handling a peice of 3/4 inch plywood with a numatic staple in it. i dropped the board and the staple cut my hand. oh, and never grab a hot soddering iron. it's not fun. i've burned so much that it doesn't even phase me anymore. that's not good.
 
Up in our loft above the seating of the auditorium, there are lots of metal bars, and boards to climb over. It is traditional that new techs are not informed of the pipes with boiling water going through them. At our school, a lot of the school is controlled by the auditorium. All of the circuit brakers are there, a lot of the air conditioning goes through there. This is because our school has tunnels under it, where they keep the boiler, etc. and we think that a lot may be under the auditorium. The janitor's office is also under our booth, and where the seating goes ___/ up on more of an incline.
So, there are some really really hot pipes coming straight from the boiler room, and heading to the cafeteria and the rest of the school. I leaned on them a few times, and my hands hurt for a while. One tech first attempted to swing on it, to get up to a higher level. One pipe is over a trapdoor with a ladder, and my friend sometimes burns his head while coming up, or burns his hands while trying to grab it to help him up. Originaly when the school was new, it has insulation around it, but this has worn down over 50 years, to the point were it is just a 4 inch metal burning pipe.

I also was working on a Src4 PAR up in the loft (we also have a batten there) when my cheap 4 dollar gloves started smoking and burning through melting the gloves. That was back when I had cloth gloves with the rubber hob knobs for better grip. These gloves are now just reserved for using the fly system. :mrgreen:
 
Interesting... the basic rule for burns is running water straight away. 10 min for general burns, 20 min for chemical, radiation and other serious burns, 30 minutes (no more and preferably no less) for bitumen burns. But after cooling the burn (which is what the water does), you should cover the burn with a non adherent (burns) dressing or failing that, aluminium foil, cling wrap or the like. Then prevent infection and minimise shock. Seek medical advice if: burn is deep, a superficial burn is larger than a 20 cent piece (roughly 1" in diameter), the burn involves the airways, face, hands or genitals, you are unsure of the severity of the burn and any other time when you think it appropriate.

Mostly paraphrased from Australian First Aid. Reggie98, I am more than willing to stand corrected, but I do wonder from where you have gotten your information, the source I am using I thought was pretty reliable.


Chris here's a link to the Mayo clinics firstaid site, the section dealing with burns
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/FA00022

Reggie98 is correct in that a 3rd degree burn should never be immersed or held under running water, but wrapped in cool damp bandages and trnasportation to a hospital should be as immediate as possible. One of the odd things about 3rd degree burns is, typically they don't hurt. the area around the 3rd degree will be incredibly painfull as it will usually be suffering from second and first degree burns. Since 3rd degree burns are usually accompanied by many other life threating issues you normally don't have to deal with them as a regular civilian.
 
The worst injury I've gotten to date in my theatrical ventures...this is just a great story...the worst injury I've gotten has not been sawing an extremity off, or getting a staple driven into myself, or getting burned on a light...no, the WORST injury was during my costume practicum. I was carrying a huge and heavy pile of costumes up some stairs, and started to drop them, and while attempting to stop them from falling, I got stabbed in the knuckle with a hanger. It bled for 20 minutes, they had to get out the first aid kit and treat me. My worst injury is from a hanger. :oops:
(I'm no good at all in the costume shop.) :grin:
 
The worst injury I've gotten to date in my theatrical ventures...this is just a great story...the worst injury I've gotten has not been sawing an extremity off, or getting a staple driven into myself, or getting burned on a light...no, the WORST injury was during my costume practicum. I was carrying a huge and heavy pile of costumes up some stairs, and started to drop them, and while attempting to stop them from falling, I got stabbed in the knuckle with a hanger. It bled for 20 minutes, they had to get out the first aid kit and treat me. My worst injury is from a hanger. :oops:
(I'm no good at all in the costume shop.) :grin:

i'm sorry to hear that your worst tech injury was from costuming. and yet i can't help but laugh. i'm sorry, i know i shouldn't be laughing but the main reason it auditioned to get into my high school was for the costume design and construction classes. i can wear down a top quality sewing machine in two years. i'm the best seamstress in my school. just becareful of the iron when you are using it. don't let it fall on top of your hand. it hurts quite a bit. and don't get blood on the fabric.
 
i'm sorry to hear that your worst tech injury was from costuming. and yet i can't help but laugh.
Don't worry, I laugh at myself over that incident! Now that I've completed my costume practicum, I'm just going to stay out of the costume shop from now on, so I don't further injure myself or others. :grin:
 
I have to say that in the sheer number of incidents I have had far more injuries in the costume shop than doing any other tech work. From burns (irons, steamers) to punctures (also a hanger, and many needles) to even a real nice cut from the edge of a sewing machine table. The costume shop is dangerous.


I have however had worse injuries elsewhere, just not as many.
 
Chris here's a link to the Mayo clinics firstaid site, the section dealing with burns
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/FA00022

Reggie98 is correct in that a 3rd degree burn should never be immersed or held under running water, but wrapped in cool damp bandages and trnasportation to a hospital should be as immediate as possible. One of the odd things about 3rd degree burns is, typically they don't hurt. the area around the 3rd degree will be incredibly painfull as it will usually be suffering from second and first degree burns. Since 3rd degree burns are usually accompanied by many other life threating issues you normally don't have to deal with them as a regular civilian.

Sorry I have not gotten back to this as quickly as I normally would, been up to other things. I am more than willing to recognise that damp bandages are the way to go. Now bear with me for a moment, one of the things my first aid has taught me (apart from cold running water) is that you never put anything on a burn (Or try and remove anything from it either), so the mere idea of applying a bandage, damp or otherwise, seems to contravene what I have been taught. Now there is the very real possibility that the first aid we get taught and certified in down here is not the same as first aid in the states, heck until recently they could not even agree what the right number of breaths and compressions for CPR was until about a year ago, and that was just the various organisations down here!

OK, so let's move on from how to treat a third degree burn. How do I tell in about 2 seconds or less whether I am looking at a second degree burn and hence apply cold water or whether I am looking at a third degree burn and so apply damp bandages? Unless first aiders have different roles up there (again entirely possible), but down here, the role is to stop injuries worsening until such time as medical professionals arrive. Now something very minor can be the exception, say a bit of antiseptic and an adhesive dressing over a minor graze, but on the whole, you are there to start controlling injuries and stop them from worsening until people who know better what they are doing arrive. Now to me, without a university degree in medicine, can't tell on sight the difference between the different degrees of burn, so what quick and easy hints can we offer so that I can tell whether to apply cold water or damp bandages? Because in the absence of that, can we not see why my instinct would be to follow the basic rule of cold running water?

Hope that makes sense and apologies if I have offended anyone.
 
One of the majoe ways you'll be able to tell the difference is the manner in which the burns were received, in addition to visual examination of th burn. Third degree burns usually come in 2 different flavors. < ickk and double ick.> The first type typically from direct exposure to intense heat or exposure to actual flame. These burns will be black just like an overcooked shrimp on the barbie < sp?> Ok more like an over cooked piece of pork with the skin still on. There might be some moisture oozing from between the cracks in the charred flesh but typically it's been seared, just like a good steak, to seal in the juices. < anyone else detecting a theme here ?> Remeber 3rd degree burns affect not only the epidermis, the outer most layer of skin, but also the dermis, fat and underlying muscle tissues. They can even go as far as the bone itself, although how you would do that, and not be dead, other than getting your arm stuck in a kiln for 5 minutes I don't know.
The other type of third degree burn is an almost complete polar opposite. Such burns are typically received from steam,<mmmm steamed shrimp>. The second type of third degree burn is typified by a white-ish chalky dry appearence. Not red, no blisters, just a dry chalky appearence, sort of like frostbite, before necrosis has set in < I couldn't remember how to spell gangreen.> In almost all cases third degree burns will be surrounded by 1st and second degree burns, but as in all cases of first aid your treatment of the situation must address the most serious of injuries first. therefore no running water, no submersion, no ice. A moist clean dressing such as gauze or a muslin bandage. under no circumstances wrap a burn in cotton balls, flannel etc. the fibers will adhere to the skin and create a greater risk for infection down the line.


how to judge a third degree burn in under 2 seconds ? Hmm well if the above descriptions don't work, and the person is concious, you could touch it and ask them if they feel it. 3rd degree burns destroy the nerves beneath the skin and are, in-fact, themselves, painless. The difficulty with this method however is that A. you are possible introducing bacteria into the wounded area by placing your dirty grubby paws on it. B. you could be further injuring the area by damaging the already damaged tissues. < try poking your finger into an over done steak and watch how the flesh breaks up> and C. As stated before 3rd degree burns are most often surrounded by a larger area of 1st and 2nd degree burns so manipulating the 3rd degree burn area is going to transfer skin motion to the surrounding areas thus causing further pain to those areas, which the subject will undoubtedly not be able to distinguish from pain comming directly from the 3rd degree burned area. < whew !>

In summation; Unless you're ablsolutely sure treat any burn as one step up in the scale. Read that link I provided earlier. If clothing or covering if still smoldering around the sight of a burn by all means extinguish it remove as much as neccessary but no more. As with all first aid your first mission is to remove immediate threat ie take the person from the burning car before removing the splinter in thier finger. But do not under any circumstances move a person if it is not absolutely necessary leave that up to proffessionals.
Hope that helps.

Note to everyone. Don't take everything I say on this subject for Gospel. Go out and learn it for yourself. Getting basic first aid certification is easy, and fun. going further with it is optional. I spent five years in Search and Rescue, it was challenging rewarding, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching. Ultimately I decided I just didn't have the stomach for being an EMT, but I'm glad I got the training. I haven't had to use it that often < thank God> but when I have needed to it was invaluable.
 
Thankyou Van.

So what we are saying it that a third degree will be big enough and ugly enough that it will be as apparent as if it were holding up a big sign. Good to know, hope I never have to use it.

Gotta love it when I hold a first aid certificate and yet find that bits get left out... Interestingly the site you referred me to says don't immerse in cold water to prevent shock, whereas what was said earlier here was that basically the burnt tissue (skin etc.) will fall off.

Now I hope that it is safe to assume this is the same elsewhere, but if you ring for an ambulance here, the operator will normally be able to assist you in providing treatment until such time as the ambulance arrives, so if you have a situation, be it a burn or anything else which you think is serious, call the ambulance and whilst doing so, ask them what to do to keep the casualty in the best condition until they can get there and take over. After all they do it day in, day out and even if the operator is not medically skilled, mostly places like that have trained senior officers in charge, as a Chief Inspector (probably somewhere about Lieutenant or Captain) will have control of the police radio room.
 

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