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Injuries to the back, arms and neck have become commonplace in nursing jobs. According to research from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), nurses are usually hurt from moving or lifting patients.
Fortunately, there have been organized efforts by members of Congress, nursing groups and OSHA to require hospitals to abide by certain regulations or install equipment that would reduce the number of work injuries.
What Would New Regulations Change?
Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found that using equipment capable of moving and lifting patients reduced injuries among nursing staff by 40 percent. An additional study performed by Ohio State University’s Spine Research Institute found that even with ‘proper lifting’ techniques, nurses were still exposed to injury. Evidence shows that lifting equipment is the best way to reduce workplace accidents and work injuries among nurses.
A hospital in Jacksonville, Florida claims it reduced work injuries among nursing staff by 80 percent after installing lifting equipment. Lifting equipment has been put into place at many VA hospitals, and the federal organization has reportedly spent $200 million upgrading its facilities.
Other states are relying less on equipment and more on training and injury prevention education. In California, the State Assembly and Senate passed the Hospital Patient and Health Care Worker Injury Protection Act, which established safeguards, such as training and injury prevention programs, for hospital workers.
Nurses who have been injured on the job might be able to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Workers in the nursing profession are injured every year across the country, and Ohio nurses are equally at risk. Learn more about how Larrimer & Larrimer can help injured workers by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC – Columbus Workers’ Comp lawyer
Did You Know? According to research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses and nursing assistants have more musculoskeletal injuries than police officers and firefighters.