Healthcare workers put their own health on the line each and every day, but it’s not just disease exposure that puts them at risk. Healthcare is one of the leading industries for employee injuries, and there are four types of injuries that account for more than 95 percent of all healthcare worker injuries. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the four most common types of injuries that affect healthcare workers, and how they can seek compensation if they suffer any of these injuries during the course of their duties.
Common Healthcare Worker Injuries
Here’s a look at the four most common injuries that affect healthcare workers, and what you should do if you are injured when providing care for others.
1. Overstress – Overstress injuries are the most common type of injury that we see in healthcare employees. Working in healthcare can be much more physical than you imagine. You may picture a doctor doing their rounds or checking a person’s blood pressure, but what you don’t see are the healthcare workers loading patients onto slide boards, transferring them to hospital beds or helping lift them out of bed. Injuries from lifting and moving patients account for nearly half (48%) of all worker injuries reported in hospitals.
2. Falls – Falls also account for a significant portion of hospital worker injuries, with 1 in 4 injuries stemming from a fall. Workers may be hustling to rush up or down a set of stairs, or they may slip on tile flooring if bodily fluids or other liquids make areas slippery. If employees are rushing to see a patient or have lost a little focus at the end of a 12-hour shift, a slip and fall injury can become more likely.
3. Contact With Object – Coming in contact with hospital equipment or related objects account for roughly 13 percent of all hospital worker injuries. If you’re looking down at some paperwork and trip over a therapy cart that was left in the hallway, or you are exposed to an accidental needle prick, you can suffer an injury.
4. Violence – Finally, there is the sad reality that oftentimes healthcare workers are exposed to violence on the job. An unruly patient, someone coming out of a psychiatric hold or a patient suffering severe withdrawals can all lash out at the staff that is trying to help them, and that can lead to injuries. Roughly nine percent of hospital worker injuries are as a result of patient or coworker-related violence. Depending on the nature of the violence, you may also be able to pursue a personal injury claim alongside your workers’ compensation claim.
This information doesn’t even include the new wave of employees who are being exposed to COVID-19 on the job. In Minnesota, COVID-19 is considered a presumptive illness for frontline workers, meaning that they can collect workers’ compensation benefits if they miss time from work due to COVID-19 because it can be reasonably presumed that they were exposed to the virus on the job given the nature of their employment.
If you or someone you know works in the healthcare industry and has been talking about a new pain or injury that has developed as a result of an on-the-job incident, reach out to the team at Hey Workers to see how we can help get you the compensation you deserve. Now more than ever, healthcare workers deserve to have their rights protected and to have a clear path to compensation in the event of any injury. You’ve put the health of others first for long enough. If you have been injured at work, pick up the phone and call the team at Hey Workers. We’ll put together a strong claim and get you every penny you deserve. Learn how we can be an assistance by calling our team today at (844) 439-9675.
