At Robinson Salyers, PLLC, your future is in the right hands. Focus on recovering strength and peacefulness, we’ll take care of the rest.
  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Workers' Compensation
  4.  » Healthcare professionals face serious workplace injury risks

Healthcare professionals face serious workplace injury risks

On Behalf of | Sep 7, 2016 | Workers' Compensation |

When people think of dangerous jobs, construction or law enforcement may be the first jobs to come to mind. However, healthcare professionals, including nurses, have some of the highest rates of injury of any profession. Nurses in particular face unique challenges. These challenges include:

  • Lifting and positioning patients
  • Accidental needle sticks and exposure to harmful substances
  • Acts of workplace violence

These hazards are in addition to the hazards common at other workplaces, such as slip-and-fall accidents. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), hospital employees are injured at nearly twice the rate of employees in the private sector. In fact, hospital employees are injured at higher rates than construction workers.

What are the most common workplace injuries for healthcare professionals?

OSHA reports the most common work injuries in hospitals as the following:

  • Strains and sprains
  • Bruises
  • General soreness and pain
  • Bone fractures
  • Cuts and punctures

Sprains and strains are by far the most common type of injury resulting in missed work, accounting for 54% of injuries.

While workplace injuries for nurses and other healthcare professionals have declined in recent years, the risks remain high. OSHA statistics show that nearly seven full-time healthcare employees out of 100 are injured in a given year. It is clear that hospitals, nursing homes and other employers can do more to make their workplaces safer.

A workers’ compensation lawyer can provide valuable counsel to an injured worker

If you or a loved one has been injured in the workplace, a workers’ compensation lawyer can be critical in helping you recover all benefits available under law. For years, people in Shelbyville and surrounding areas have relied on the attorneys of Robinson Salyers for tough, skilled legal representation.

Sources: Worker Safety in Your Hospital, OSHA

Archives

Loading...