Each day, the women and men working in the health care industry perform an array of physical duties, putting them at risk of suffering workplace injuries. Many of these injuries are minor and do not pose health risks or take the victim away from his or her job. Unfortunately, some workplace injuries in a health care setting are much more severe.
The health care industry in America is one of the leading industries for occupational injuries, according to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Although the most recent statistical data available is from 2011, it does paint a picture of the problem medical workers have been facing for the better part of a decade or longer.
Per the government’s own data, hospitals in the U.S. recorded nearly seven workplace injuries per every 100 workers employed on a full-time basis. The following section includes specific information about health care worker injuries from 2011.
- At 48 percent, almost half of hospital worker injuries occurred due to overexertion or physical strain.
- Slips, trips and falls were responsible for 25 percent of the workplace injuries suffered in a health care facility.
- Making contact with items or objects accounted for 13 percent of worker injuries in the hospital industry.
- Violent encounters resulted in 9 percent of health care worker injuries during the reporting period.
- Exposure to potentially harmful substances accounted for four percent of hospital-based workplace injuries.
Workplace injuries often result in lost wages and significant medical bills. The workers’ compensation program can help injured workers, but only when a claim is successful. If you are one of the many dedicated health care employees serving Omaha residents while battling a denied workers’ comp claim, it is wise to seek legal counsel.
Injury attorneys have the legal knowledge to assist you when workplace injuries take you away from your job. In the end, workers’ compensation is not a privilege for injured employees, it is a right. Exercise your right to continue pursuing compensation if your rightful claim was denied.