Why Do Hospitals Have the Highest Rate of Back Injuries and Workers’ Comp Claims?

Hospitals are dangerous places to work. According to OSHA, hospitals have almost four times the number of back injuries than other employers. The average injury rate is 1.2 injuries per 100 employees; hospitals on average have 4.4 injuries per 100 employees. Half of those injuries are back injuries. A recent study from OSHA notes that Nursing Assistants rank #1 in the United States for work-related back injuries while Registered Nurses rank #5 out of all workers. Other studies confirm these findings.

Why? A recent OSHA study found that hospital back injuries result from overexertion from lifting, transferring and repositioning patients. While mechanical devices such as Hoyer Lifts are designed to move patients safely; many hospitals don’t use them. Why? OSHA concluded that the reasons were failure to properly train staff, failure to educate patients about the safety and effectiveness of mechanical lifts and failure of management to follow through with proper implementation.

Hospitals are busy workplaces and are frequently understaffed. Nurses frequently have to resort to calling for assistance from other nurses or even trying to reposition patients themselves. OSHA studied this problem and found that it is actually 5 minutes quicker to use a mechanical lift then to try and assemble a team to move a heavy patient.

Hospitals who design, implement and follow through with safety training, proper staffing and organized follow through have seen a dramatic reduction in work place injuries. Many hospitals don’t know or don’t care and the result is a continuing huge number of work place injuries.

We have represented many in the health care field from doctors, to nurses to CPAs and we are aware of all the issues these employers try to use to confuse, obfuscate and delay the proper and prompt receipt of PA compensation benefits for work injures.