Working in a hospital can bring with it some very serious risks. Nurses and other medical professionals need to be aware of the different ways that they can get injured on the job and the steps they should take if this happens. People often think of physical jobs like construction as being the most dangerous, but hospitals have unique risks that you won’t find elsewhere.
To better understand what these risks look like and how you can avoid being injured on the job, here are three examples.
Hospital violence
Surprisingly, violence is a significant reason for injuries in the hospital. In fact, hospital workplace violence has been on the rise lately. There were 10.4 incidents per 10,000 workers as recently as 2018. If the trend holds true, that rate is much higher today. Things can happen very quickly and a nurse may not even realize that the person is a threat until they’ve already been injured.
Lifting patients
With the rising obesity epidemic in the United States, another serious issue is when nurses and staff members have to lift patients. Some of these patients may be very heavy and this can lead to shoulder injuries or spinal cord injuries. Even simple things like helping someone get out of bed to use the bathroom or rolling them over so they don’t get bedsores can put medical workers at risk.
Needle sticks
Finally, nurses and doctors often have to work with needles that contain all sorts of medications. Some of these can be very hazardous to the medical professionals. In other cases, doctors have to work with needles to do blood draws and things of this nature. Getting stuck with a needle can happen in a split second, but it could theoretically expose that worker to quite a lot of potential illnesses or diseases.
If you have been injured on the job, you need to know what steps you can take to seek proper compensation.