How to prevent repetitive stress injuries among your healthcare staff.
Healthcare workers experience extremely high rates of injury. In fact, certain positions, such as nurses, actually have higher injury rates than high-risk industries such as commercial logging and mining. For healthcare workers in assisted living facilities, repetitive stress injuries are the most common type of workplace injuries. With this in mind, it’s important that facility owners take steps to address this risk. Here’s how you can prevent repetitive stress injuries among your healthcare staff.
Common Injuries
Recently, an OSHA study showed that workers serving the healthcare industry are seven times more likely to suffer musculoskeletal and repetitive-stress injuries than workers in any other industry. Common injuries include,
- Sprains and strains
- Joint displacement and/or separation
- Slipped vertebral discs
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain
- Bone fractures
- Carpal tunnel and related nerve impingements
Reducing Injury Risks
To reduce your staff’s risk of injury, you need to take a closer look at your facility’s working conditions and processes. Currently, the healthcare industry is facing an influx of patients. This places a heavy load on healthcare workers. Unfortunately, such high-intensity workloads increase the chance of workplace injuries because employees are more likely to rush, skip safety protocols, and attempt to lift/transport heavy patients without assistance.
The best way to lower your risk for employee injuries is by retraining your staff and emphasizing the importance of safety protocols. Your facility should also invest in specialized safety equipment to help employees complete tasks without slowing them down. Finally, by creating a culture of safety at your assisted living facility, you can encourage your staff to prioritize their wellbeing and the wellbeing of their patients.
This is what you need to do to prevent repetitive stress injuries among your healthcare staff. By keeping your injury rates down, you can lower your workers compensation insurance costs. Do you have questions about this special form of commercial coverage? If so, then contact the experts at PMC Insurance Group. We are ready to assist you with all your business insurance needs today.
