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How to Handle Work-Related Injuries in Nursing & Other Workplaces



Nursing staff are in a variety of different health service centers: hospitals, nursing homes, ambulance services, and community-based organizations, and they are all targets of work related injuries.  The very nature of their work can lead them into hazardous situations. Other research shows that tiredness due to overwork can also cause a higher rate of stress and injuries in the nursing profession. In fact, all work related environments have certain triggers that can set off a number of problems. For example – exposure to hazardous chemicals can cause problems when they are not in a controlled situation. And this could have short and long term effects on the nursing staff, and ultimately the patients in their care.

Workers all over the world in other companies everywhere all need their jobs, and sometime, they could be susceptible to a serious illness, or to accidentally injure themselves. Working in any environment can be very rewarding and enjoyable, but it can also take its toll in terms of stress and disease.


Type of Injuries in the Nursing Profession
Information from the Center for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) says that of the more than 18 million workers in healthcare, up to 80% of them are a woman. Cases of non-fatal injury and illness are reported on a daily basis. Here are some of the top causes of injury in the Healthcare industry:

     Fatigue / On-going stress: all workers in the healthcare industry are more susceptible to having musculoskeletal problems (MSDs)because of the very nature of their jobs;
     Activities that involve lifting and moving patients: many nurses and RN can injure their back or shoulders as they lift the dead weight of a patient;
     Needle Injuries: all healthcare workers will deal with needles as well as other sharp equipment at some stage during their career. Often one of these instruments can pierce the skin;
     Criminals: very often, robbers or thugs on the run are in the hospital for gunshot wounds and other injuries. This raises the danger levels for all hospital staff. And because hospitals stock so many drugs, they are also at risk of being robbed;
     Falls: Healthcare workers can slip on a wet floor when something has been spilt and injure themselves.
     Staff Shortages: Most clinics and hospitals have staff shortages due to budget constraints, which mean that the rest of the staff are overworked and tired. Being tired all the time can lead to accidents happening and mistakes being made.


Work Related Injuries in Other Environments
Wherever you work, there is always a chance of something going wrong, an unintentional accident perhaps or someone slipping or tripping over something – it is bound to happen someday in your work environment. And while your organization may take all the necessary precautions, something untoward can still happen. How an employer responds to an accident at work is very important, and can make all the difference in the outcome of the problem. Below, we will give you some guidelines on what the procedure should be when an accident or injury happens in a working environment:



1.   Make sure the employee is being attended to by qualified personnel
Whatever has happened or taken place, the employer needs to treat the employee as the most important person at this point. The quicker they are treated, the quicker you will have a resolution. Either call 911 or take the patient to the hospital yourself depending on the urgency of the situation.

2.   Secure the Scene
Keep the scene of the accident secure and untouched at all times so the investigators can see it exactly as it was when the accident took place. Do not let all your other staff walk around trying to find out what happened, rather get a few colleagues to make sure the scene is safe and then everyone should go back to work.



3.   Fill in the Necessary Paperwork
An accident report has to be filled in as soon as possible and sent to your Workers’ Compensation Insurance Carrier within 24 hours.

4.   Put a plan in Place for when the Employer comes back to work
Depending on the type of injury it could be weeks or even months before the employer comes back to work. Injuries such as broken bones, sprains or strains will need the longest time. The employer should also set up a kind of bridging program to ease the employee slowly back into working a full day again. This can go a long way towards mending any broken bridges – if there are any.

5.   Make a Commitment to Safety
Employers can make it very pleasant for the employee to return to work. Acknowledge their injury, be sympathetic, help them get back into the swing of work, boost their confidence by giving them small projects to work on until they are strong enough to a full day. Make safety priority in your work environment – let the employees see that you value them and are concerned about their safety. This goes a long way to building solid employer / employee relationships.

While the incidence of work-related injuries is still very high, let’s look at the ways in which we can prevent accidents taking place in the workplace. Wrist, back, and ankle sprains are among the injuries that happen the most in a work environment. These types of injuries are particularly prevalent among nursing staff because they are standing or walking almost all day every day. And then heavy equipment and patients often need to be lifted and moved. There are ways of avoiding these types of injuries:

1.   Spend some money on comfortable shoes that give you proper support around your feet, particularly your arch and your ankle – and make sure they are non-slip shoes;
2.   Stretch your back, arms and leg muscles regularly throughout the day – change position when you are standing, or try and touch your toes a few times to warm up for the day ahead;
3.   Try and go to an exercise class at least twice a week so you can keep yourself in tip top condition – with muscles that are strong and firm;
4.   Take breaks during the year – a long weekend is good for the soul and good for your health - go away into a different environment and relax for 3 days. Do this more than once a year;
5.   Get lots of rest. Read a good book, watch some TV or do some baking to relax when you get home from work. Go to bed early and at the same time every night – it will make a world of difference to how you feel;
6.   If you have to lift heavy objects and patents, then use the strength in your legs, not your back muscles;
7.   If you feel muscles twinging or feeling stiff and sore get help at once – do not wait for it to develop into a spasm because then it takes longer to heal, and just makes you feel awful all round.

Conclusion
What come out from this article is that it is very important to take care of yourself before you can worry about other people. If you are tired and have a headache, you are not at your best, and that is unfair to the people you work with. You owe it to your colleagues and your employer to be in the best condition possible. And, if there is a work-related injury take care of it - follow all the steps we discussed earlier on. If it is done properly, it will benefit the employee and the employer.


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