If you are a hospital worker who was injured on the job, you should speak to a Massachusetts workers’ compensation law firm. Depending on the nature of the job, a hospital worker may be at risk of serious injuries from slip and fall accidents, lifting and transferring patients, infectious diseases and tainted needles, combative patients, and exposure to hazardous substances. Other common causes of hospital worker injuries requiring days away from work include physical overexertion, trip and fall accidents, and contact with equipment or objects.
The Department of Labor says that in 2012 alone, there were 250,000 work-related illnesses and injuries at US hospitals. Nationally, workers’ compensation losses cost hospitals about $2 billion a year
Some Hospital Work Injury Facts (From OSHA.gov):
• The Bureau of labor Statistics says that the chances of a hospital worker getting sick or hurt enough to warrant time off from work is higher than that of a manufacturing or construction worker-the construction and manufacturing industries are considered two of the most dangerous professions today.
• Hospital worker injury can put patients’ health at risk of fall injuries (if the worker is feeling sick or ill while lifting and moving them), medication errors, surgical mistakes, anesthesia errors, infection, and contamination, and other health issues.
• Common hospital worker injuries and injuries leading to time off from work included strains and sprains, bruises, fractures, soreness, cuts, multiple traumas, punctures, exposure to communicable disease, skin disorders, respiratory conditions, and other illnesses.
• Because some patients are mentally ill or have some other type of psychological impairment, they can be prone to violence, also posing a hospital worker injury risk.
• About 1/3 of hospital staff injuries caused by interacting with a patient require that the worker take time off from the job to recover.
Hospital worker deaths can also happen. OSHA says that between 2003 and 2011 there were 263 work-related fatalities, which averages out to about 24 deaths annually. 96 of these involved motor vehicles. The other causes included homicides, self-inflicted injuries, fall injuries, and exposure to harmful environments and substances.
At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston hospital work injury lawyers represent clients with Massachusetts workers’ compensation claims throughout the US. Unfortunately, sometimes getting all of your owed benefits can prove a challenge-your employer may disagree that your injury or illness was work-related or there may some other issue under dispute. It can also take longer than it should to get paid.
Working with a law firm that knows how to protect and ensure your right to receiving your thbenefits in a timely manner can make a huge difference-alleviating stress and worry and allowing you to focus on your recovery. Our law firm also handles Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation death benefit claims.
Caring for Our Caregivers, OSHA (PDF)
OSHA releases new resources to protect hospital workers and enhance patient safety, US Department of Labor, January 15, 2014
More Blog Posts:
Worker Fatally Injured in New Bedford Industrial Incident, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, January 20, 2014
Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation: Man Struck by 12,000 Pound Steel Beam Dies in East Boston Industrial Accident, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 10, 2013
Workplace Injuries in Massachusetts: What are Your Benefits?, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, November 15, 2013