Healthcare Workers Prone to Increased Workplace Risk and Injury Workers’ compensation is paid based on a medical chart review to establish the disability. Healthcare staffs are prone to increased workplace injuries.
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Just as the social security disability program, workers’ compensation is also a beneficial program designed to compensate workers injured on the job and supports them financially for the period they are away from work. The SSA ensures that these benefits are paid to deserving claimants through stringent evaluation processes such as medical chart review. Attorneys handling workers’ compensation and disability cases also review the medical records of the injured/disabled person by utilizing medical record review services to determine the legal validity of the claim. In this blog, we focus on workers’ compensation in the healthcare industry that is considered a high risk sector. OSHA’s high hazard industry list includes industries with high DART (Days away, Restricted, or Transferred) injury rates. These industry sectors are targeted for OSHA’s programmed inspections. Healthcare and Social Assistance is listed among the high hazard industries. Workers in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities), continuing care retirement communities, assisted living facilities for the elderly, and other residential care facilities are considered to be at considerable risk. Types of Risks Healthcare Workers Face A report from Zurich, a global multi-line insurer, on healthcare-related workers’ compensation claims says that the healthcare industry accounts for a high proportion of all national workplace injuries. What are the types of workplace injuries that can occur in the healthcare space? According to Todd Pollock, senior vice president of workers’ compensation at Worldwide Facilities, the two types of risks in this industry segment are:
Patient handling exposure
Occupational disease exposure
Workers are likely to be injured when moving patients – nurses in hospitals suffer from strains or sprains from lifting patients. They may also be injured by performing repetitive tasks. Slips and falls have been found to be common cause of injuries to workers in hospitals. Other causes of workplace injury include X-Rays, lasers, radioactive materials. Workers may also fall victims to workplace violence, especially in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals. Healthcare workers may be exposed to infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. These pathogens transported by blood can cause serious diseases such as hepatitis, swine flu, Ebola fever, and
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HIV/AIDS. The chemicals used in healthcare settings such as anti-cancer medications and drugs administered in the form of aerosols or gases could prove hazardous to workers in such settings. In addition, cleaning and sanitizing agents as well as substances used in medical laboratories could harm workers. These risks intensify with an aging workforce, though with increasing automation some of the risk is lessened. The risks vary with the particular healthcare job and the work environment. Workers providing home healthcare are considered to be more at risk because they have to travel a lot, and work in diverse jobsites. There is considerable driving exposure involved. Home healthcare services are more popular and in demand now because elderly people prefer to stay at home and have the service delivered to them rather than move into a nursing home. However, home healthcare workers may not have access to ceiling lifts, slings and other patient moving devices that are used in hospitals. They have to move patients manually, which accounts for sprain and strain injuries. They could also be at risk of injury from domestic animals, slips and falls, and domestic violence. Nursing home workers, just as hospital workers and home healthcare workers, are at risk of sprains and strains, and are particularly prone to workplace violence. It is estimated that a quarter of all workplace assaults take place in nursing and residential care homes. CDC reports that nurse aides in nursing homes are the most frequently assaulted workers in America. The attack is usually from elderly residents with dementia or other brain disease. Apart from this, reports say that residents’ family members also are prone to attack nurse aides. The Need for a Strong Culture around Workplace Safety Just as in any other industry, employers in the healthcare sector must establish a strong culture around safety. A good risk management program must be in place, with managers working to ensure a safe work environment. Employees must be given proper training and education regarding safety and the right precautionary measures to take. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney could guide employers in the healthcare sector in implementing the right safety strategies in keeping with OSHA’s instructions. OSHA says that a zero-tolerance policy is one of the best protections against workplace violence. This policy should be applicable to workers, patients, visitors, and anyone else who comes in contact with the employees. A violence
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prevention plan that is developed by the employer can either stand by itself or be incorporated into a procedures manual, employee handbook, or a safety and health plan.
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