Nurses, nursing assistants, orderlies, technicians and other healthcare personnel provide compassionate care to patients experiencing health problems and crises. Unfortunately, in doing so, they have an increased risk of sustaining or developing serious workplace injuries and illnesses. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 35,000 nursing employees sustain on-the-job injuries each year. Many have to miss work as a result.
Nursing Injuries Are More Frequent Than Most Think
Nursing may not seem like a particularly hazardous profession. However, the injury and illness incidence rate is six cases per 100 full-time workers. This means private industry hospital workers are more likely to suffer significant on-the-job injuries than employees in more traditionally dangerous industries, such as construction, manufacturing, commercial trucking, and warehousing.
What makes the healthcare field so perilous for nurses, nursing assistants, and other medical professionals? In addition to exposing employees to illness, jobs in this field are physically demanding, requiring workers to lift, move, or reposition numerous patients on a daily basis.
Common Nursing Assistant Injuries
Common on-the-job injuries for nurses and nursing assistants include:
- Sprains, strains, and tears. These injuries are often serious—in 2015, most required an employee to miss more than 31 days of work.
- Fractures
- Cuts and punctures
- Bruises
- Herniated discs. Orderlies and nursing assistants suffer back injuries at a rate three times higher than construction workers.
The causes of such injuries vary, but often include:
- Overexertion and bodily reaction. Comprised of injuries sustained while lifting or moving patients, these incidents accounted for more than 24,000—or 45 percent—of private hospital injury cases in 2015.
- Falls, slips and trips. These injuries made up 25 percent—or more than 13,200—of private hospital cases in 2015, according to the BLS.
- Exposure. The Georgia Nurses Association estimates that health care workers sustain between 600,000 and 800,000 needlestick and sharps injuries each year. As a result, nurses and other healthcare aides are frequently exposed to airborne illnesses, bloodborne pathogens, chemicals, and other hazards.
- Workplace violence. Nurses and orderlies are often assaulted by upset or ill patients or their family members.
Experienced Workers' Comp Attorney For Injured Nurses
Workplace injuries often have significant financial consequences for healthcare workers. If you're a nurse, nursing assistant, or other health care worker who was injured while performing job-related duties at Emory Healthcare, Northside Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare, or in a private nursing facility, you may be entitled to workers' compensation benefits.
The knowledgeable workers' compensation attorneys with Rechtman & Spevak can help you protect your rights every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a free initial case consultation.
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