Health care work is a thankless job. When someone’s injured, often, it’s a nurse or emergency medical team who gets to a patient in need first. People come in day and night with injuries of their own – many of whom are injured from workplace accidents, but when health care workers suffer injuries on the job, it puts a pin in everyone’s life.
People often don’t realize that healthcare workers can be injured on the job – perhaps because they may be able to seek medical attention on the spot, but injuries do happen. There may be a higher chance of a healthcare worker being injured or getting sick because their profession involves working with so many people. If you’re a doctor, nurse or medical professional, you may need to watch for these common injuries:
Overexerting the body
Health care workers have to do a lot of patient-care work. Some patients need to be lifted out of bed or moved around in a wheelchair.
Nurses and doctors are often provided tools to support patient-care work, however, these tools are often limited or in disrepair. Because of this, medical professionals can injure their back and legs by overexerting themselves when handling patients without the proper tools.
Slip and falls
Hospitals and doctor offices are sanitary places, but that doesn’t always mean it’s clean and hazard free. There’s a lot that goes on in a medical facility and even something minor could leave something behind for a healthcare worker to trip or slip on.
There may be water, blood or urine left in the hallways or in a patient’s room that causes a worker to slip and fall. Hospitals have all kinds of cords, tubing, wired and medical equipment that can catch a health care worker’s foot. Just one fall could cause a worker to experience spine or skull injuries
Patient-on-worker violence
Medical professionals understand the risks of their job. Many patients that come through hospital doors experience some kind of mental issue, which may require healthcare workers and security to properly handle. These patients can turn aggressive and can seriously injure workers.
If you were recently injured on the job, you may need to reach out for legal help when discussing your workers’ compensation.