Working in a hospital setting should be safe. After all, these institutions aren’t exempt from workplace safety regulations, and considering that employees have direct interactions with patients, you’d think that hospitals would go the extra mile to reduce workplace risks. But even when they do, doctors and nurses can suffer on-the-job injuries that make it impossible for them to carry out their work tasks. When this happens, they’re left unable to recoup their wages, and they may need extensive and costly medical care.
So, what injuries are hospital workers more likely to succumb to while on the job? Let’s look at some of the most common ways in which hospital injuries are suffered so that you know what may qualify you for workers’ compensation benefits. This is important to know since workers’ compensation benefits can give you the financial relief you need while you focus on regaining your health and getting back to work.
The most common ways hospital injuries occur
Almost every activity you conduct on the job at a hospital carries the risk of injury. Here are some of the most common situations that lead to serious harm and the need for workers’ compensation benefits:
- Overexertion: Nurses are often tasked with lifting heavy medical equipment and manually moving patients. This sometimes puts them in awkward lifting positions where they overexert their back, leg, arm, and neck muscles. This can lead to musculoskeletal disorders that carry the potential for long-term pain and limited mobility.
- Syringe punctures: Nurses and other healthcare professionals routinely administer vaccines and other injections. A slip of the hand, a wiggling patient, or a mere accident when disposing of a needle can lead to needle sticking the healthcare worker. This can lead to infection and sometimes even the onset of disease.
- Slip and fall injuries: Hospitals don’t use flooring with strong traction, and for good reason. Spilled fluids need to be easily cleaned and the floors need to be sanitized as much as possible. But when cleanup crews don’t get to these spills quickly enough, they can create a slipping hazard. Electrical cords and medical equipment can also create tripping hazards, too. If you slip or trip and fall in the hospital setting, then you could end up suffering serious injuries, such as broken bones, slipped discs, and sprains and strains.
- Workplace violence: Healthcare professionals often have to interact with erratic and unstable patients. When they do, they’re put at risk of being injured when that patient turns violent. Depending on the extent of this altercation, a nurse or other medical professional can be seriously injured.
- Understaffing: Hospitals have been facing staffing shortages for a significant period of time. As a result, nurses and other hospital employees are often pressured to work longer hours and at faster rates of speed. This can create more strain on their bodies, and it can increase the risk of making an injurious mistake.
Have you been injured in your hospital job?
If so, then you need to consider your best course of action to recover the compensation that you need. After all, your recovery could take a significant amount of time, and it could prove to be far more expensive than you anticipated. And don’t think that pursuing workers’ compensation benefits is going to be harmful to your employer. They have insurance to help them cover these costs.
So, if you’ve been hurt on the job, now is the time to start thinking about building a workers’ compensation case. By gathering evidence now, you may better position yourself to secure the financial relief that you need.