Every day in America, 12 people go to work and never

come home

Every year in America, 3.3 million people will suffer a

workplace injury from which they may never recover

Disabling injuries costs American employers over one

billion dollars a week in workers’ compensation costs

Men are 13 times more likely to die at work than women

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to

prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work

This law created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),

which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards

Under the OSH Act, employers have the responsibility to provide a safe

workplace

OSHA is responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers employed

at more than 8 million worksites around the nation

This translates to approximately one compliance officer

for every 59,000 workers!

NIOSH is part of the CDC, established to help assure safe and healthful

working conditions for working men and women by providing research,

information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and

health

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) focuses on national

research into the problems of highest relevance to workers, employers, and

occupational safety and health practitioners in major industrial sectors

NIOSH has adopted a “research-to-practice” philosophy and strategy, to

transfer and translate research findings, technologies, and information into

highly effective prevention practices and products that can be adopted

immediately into the workplace (i.e. safety needles)

RANK & INJURY

% OVERALL

COST PER

YEAR

CAUSEOF

INJURY

NURSESAT

RISK?

#1. OVEREXERTION

25.7% $12.4 BN Injuries caused from excessive lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, or throwing

YES

#2. SAME LEVEL FALL

13.3% $6.4 BN Slip and fall injuries YES

#3. FALL TO LOWER LEVEL

10.8% $5.3 BN Slip and fall injuries YES

#4. BODILY REACTION

10.0% $4.8 BN Injuries caused from slipping or tripping without falling

YES

#5. STRUCK BY OBJECT

8.9% $4.3 BN Such as a tool falling on a worker from above

NO

#6. STRUCK AGAINST OBJECT

6.1% $2.5 BN Such as walking into a closing door YES

#7. HIGHWAY INCIDENT

4.9% $4.9 BN Injury occurs during working hours, or traveling to/from place of work

YES

#8. COMPRESSED IN/CAUGHT BY

4.4% $2.1 BN Caught in or compressed by a machine NO

#9. REPETITIVE MOTION

4.0% $2.0 BN Injuries due to repeated stress or strain YES

#10. ASSAULT / VIOLENT ACT

0.9% $0.4 BN Workplace violence YES

#1

#2

#3

Nurses are at risk for 8/10 of the Top 10 causes of workplace injury

The health care sector ranks #1 in total nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses combined in 2010 at 52/1,000

Nursing and residential care facilities rank #1 in the highest incidence rate of total nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases in 2010 at 15.1/1,000

Hospitals injury and illness cases ranked #5 in 2010 at 11.8/1,000

Ambulance services ranked #10 in 2010 at 10.8/1,000

Working in healthcare can be dangerous to your health!

Google “workplace injury” and you’ll find law firms ranking ahead of OSHA. Not necessarily an inspiring “preventative” health care message for the public…

For the most part, workplace injuries only become newsworthy if they are

catastrophic and/or result in multiple fatalities – rarely are individual cases

reported upon in the national media

Major events reported on last year included the West Virginia coal mine

explosion, which killed 25 workers and left another four unaccounted for in

the worst mining disaster since 1984, and the Deepwater Horizon explosion,

which left 11 dead and numerous injured

“USMWF (United Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities) offers

support, guidance and resources to those affected by preventable work-

related deaths or serious injuries”

USMWF report a ‘Weekly Toll’ of fatalities with local media coverage if

available

In order to be a good role model, make your own health as a health care worker your #1

priority

Be mindful of your own exposure to the potential for workplace illness and injury, especially

working within the community health care setting

Be knowledgeable about local resources for legal, financial, and healthcare support for

community members affected by workplace illness or injury

Occupational and physical therapy, as well as mental health services (counseling for PTSD,

stress, fatigue, depression, etc.) play a key role in caring for an individual affected by a

workplace injury once the initial medical crisis is over – interdisciplinary teamwork is

essential for this recovering population

Appreciate that a workplace injury can affect an entire family dynamic, putting incredible

emotional, and often financial, stress on all family members – empathetic and

nonjudgmental communication skills are imperative to an ongoing successful nurse-patient

relationship

What was the event?

What health care disciplines were utilized in the recovery process?

Who else did it affect?

How long was the recovery process?

What was the financial cost?

What was the emotional cost?

What was the outcome?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Occupational Hazards in Home Health Care. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2010-125/pdfs/2010-125.pdf>

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). National Vital Statistics Report. Deaths: Final Data for 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf>

Child and Elder Care Insights. (2011). Safety PostersTop 10 Causes of Workplace Injuries. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://www.eaposters.com/safetyposters_top10.htm>

Team 4 Investigation. (2010, May 24). Companies With High Workplace Injury Rates Get 'DART' Letters. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3thGDkqFCs>

United Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities. (2007). Weekly Toll. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://usmwf.org/about.htm>

U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). 2010 Survey of Occupational Injuries & Illnesses. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from <http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/osch0044.pdf>

U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Highest incidence rates of total nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from >http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/ostb2801.pdf>