What Is The Most Common Injury For Health Care Workers?

What Is The Most Common Injury For Health Care Workers?

As a respected workers’ compensation lawyer in Waukesha, WI can tell you, the healthcare field covers a wide range of occupations, from doctors to nurses to medical technicians. They perform important tasks and provide a wide range of services to patients on a daily basis. Their frequent contact with patients however puts them at an increased risk of suffering injuries while they are on the job. 

Some of the most common injuries that healthcare workers experience include the following:

• Exhaustion. The healthcare industry is one of the most physically demanding fields. Long shifts with 12+ hours, overtime, minimal sleep, and days without a day off are some factors that result in exhaustion in workers. It can take a physical and emotional toll that can push workers over their limit. 
• Back injuries. Patient care can be a strenuous job. Healthcare workers must be in good physical condition so that they can safely move patients who vary in size and weight. Sometimes it takes more than one worker to move a patient to a bed, chair or gurney. General daily tasks such as moving equipment and bending over to move objects or improve patient comfort can all increase the risk of back injuries among healthcare workers. 
• Needle sticks. Healthcare workers frequently use needles for tasks such as drawing blood or administering vaccines to patients. The frequent contact with needles puts healthcare workers at risk of suffering a needle prick. As a workers’ compensation lawyer from Waukesha, WI can tell you, this is highly dangerous because they can contract bloodborne diseases. Contaminated needles pose some of the biggest hazards to workers such as nurses and doctors so they must always be handled and disposed of properly. 
• Slip, trips and falls. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are busy environments, with each room filled with beds, chairs, exposed wires, and bulky medical equipment. During their rounds, staff must quickly go from room to room to check on patients. Injuries from slips, trips and falls are common among healthcare workers because they come into frequent contact with so many hazards. Tripping over wires, slipping on blood or bodily fluids, or bumping into objects are all common slip and fall scenarios. As a result, sprained wrists or ankles, head injuries and knee injuries are common. Healthcare workers also often assist patients to medical appointments or ride in ambulances on the way to hospitals, where they can sustain injuries from tripping over steps. 
• Injuries from patients. Many patients placed in nursing homes or hospitals for treatment experience high stress from being in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable environment. Patient interactions are not always pleasant, and healthcare workers often have to handle tense or stressful situations. It can be difficult to calm patients down so that they can be given the care they need. Sometimes patients lash out at healthcare workers due to their stress of impatience. Workers commonly suffer assaults that result in bruises or cuts when they are handling stressed or uncooperative patients. This is especially common in unique settings such as jails. 

Consult with a Top Lawyer

If you are a healthcare worker who has suffered an injury on the job, it would be in your best interest to talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer in Waukesha, WI so you can learn your options. Consult with a lawyer from Hickey & Turim SC today.