Nurses and other healthcare workers face countless serious safety and health hazards on the job, such as bloodborne pathogens and biological threats, chemical and drug exposures, repeated lifting, and other physical tasks, to name a few. If you have been injured on the job, talk to a professional to evaluate whether you have a valid workers’ compensation lawsuit.
Healthcare workers and nurses face higher nonfatal worksite injury and illness rates than any other private industry occupation. Nearly 654,000 of these workers were injured or fell ill in 2010, the most recent year for which data is available. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders of all occupations in 2010. Aside from medical personnel, OSHA includes other large medical facility employees, such as:
- Mechanical maintenance
- Medical equipment maintenance
- Housekeeping
- Food service
- Building and grounds maintenance
- Laundry
- Administrative staff
If you are a healthcare worker who has been hurt at work, get in touch with the workers’ compensation lawyers at Burg Simpson’s Cody office by calling 307-527-7891 or by filling out our Free Case Evaluation form.
THE BIGGEST DANGERS TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS
Healthcare workers of all types risk several hazards on the job every day, such as:
- Stress – Nurses suffer incredible workplace stress as their biggest health risk. Roughly half of all nursing personnel also reported workplace bullying.
- Heavy lifting – Health care professionals – and nurses in particular – spend a lot of time either lifting heavy objects or repositioning patients during their shifts. The strain can take its toll.
- Assaultand/or battery – Healthcare workers and nurses also face higher rates of assault from either patients or their distraught family members. About 25 percent of healthcare workers are assaulted on the job every year.
- Infections/blood-borne diseases – By their very nature, medical facilities are filled with microorganisms and germs, and most health care workers and nurses deal with blood-borne diseases every day.
If you have been hurt in an accident at a medical facility, call our Wyoming office at 307-527-7891 to discuss your options for securing a workers’ compensation settlement.
OUR ATTORNEYS IN CODY, WYOMING ARE HERE TO HELP
If you get hurt at work, the most critical thing you can do is to seek medical attention. But the clock on your workers’ compensation claim starts ticking as soon as you get hurt, so you need to report it quickly. Do not risk your health or your career by failing to report your injury in a timely manner. Fill out our Free Case Evaluation FormHERE or call our Wyoming office of Burg Simpson today at 307-527-7891. We offer a no-cost, no-commitment consultation of your case. We also work on a contingency basis, which means that we don’t get paid unless we are able to secure compensation for you.