Work Related Injury in Healthcare

Short of dying, former nurse Lisa Black's story is a worst-case injury scenario for people who work in healthcare. Fourteen years ago, while helping to care for a patient infected with AIDS, she was accidentally punctured in the left palm by a needle that had been inserted in the patient's IV line. Though she thought she was in the clear, nine months later, after she became ill, she found out she was infected with AIDS during the accident. Although this was a rare situation hospitals are one of the most dangerous places to work. Not only is there an abundance of illness thought but there are also dangerous tools, gases, medications, and at times people. The most common types of injuries of employees are physical harm such as bruises, burns, cuts, and strains. Mental harm is often common as well from employees seeing results of tragic accidents or a family facing devastation. Occupations disease is not as common but has been documented. Cases of mental harm caused my exposure over a period of time to some employment related substance, condition or activity.

Today nearly 5.2% of hospital workers are getting injured in some way every year. This is down one percent since 2003 but five percent is still a huge number of hospital employees and millions of dollars every year due to on the job injury. The business environment for health care organizations is challenging. With health care reform on the horizon and the current economic environment still uncertain, your clients in the health care industry need to know their workers’ compensation needs are met. U.S Risk designs our workers compensation to meet all of your needs so when there is an accident the employee can receive the best care possible without worry.