Common Injuries Among Nurses

Nurses are at risk of many different kinds of injuries at work, from exposure to diseases to slips and falls in hospitals and other medical facilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nurses have a “higher-than-average risk” of sustaining certain types of workplace injuries, particularly musculoskeletal disorders. Indeed, the BLS emphasizes, “RNs have experienced some of the highest injury and illness rates in the healthcare and social assistance sector.” These injuries can occur in hospitals, at in-patient and out-patient medical facilities, in nursing homes and other residential care facilities, and in the homes of patients who receive in-home nursing care. Due to the variety of tasks performed by nurses, there are many ways in which injuries can occur. The good news is that these injuries should be compensable through the workers’ compensation system.

The BLS reports that nearly 20,000 nonfatal workplace injuries affect nurses every year, and that statistic was compiled prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In other words, the rate of missed work days due to workplace injury and occupational disease has likely increased since March 2020. Our South Florida workers’ compensation lawyers want to tell you more about common injuries affecting nurses for which you may be eligible to seek benefits through the Florida workers’ compensation system.

Overexertion Injuries 

More than 40 percent of all injuries affecting nurses are overexertion injuries, according to the BLS. These types of injuries often occur because of the ways in which nurses’ duties require them to engage in “walking, bending, stretching, and standing,” as well as requirements to “lift and move patients.” When it comes to lifting and moving patients, back and shoulder injuries can be quite common—including both overexertion injuries and traumatic injuries.

Slips, Trips, and Falls 

Since nurses are required to do so much walking between patient areas, and in facilities that often have slick floors and liquid spills, as well as walkways that may have tripping hazards, slips and falls are relatively common. A large percentage of these injuries occur in hospitals as opposed to physician’s offices and residential care facilities.

Occupational Diseases 

More than many other professions, nursing and other healthcare fields expose workers to a greater risk of occupational disease. Indeed, according to the BLS, nurses regularly and routinely “come into contact with potentially harmful and hazardous substances, including drugs, diseases, radiation, accidental needlesticks, and chemicals used for cleaning.” Exposure to any kind of disease or substance can result in a nurse contracting a serious disease that can result in many missed workdays and, in some cases, the inability to return to work in the same capacity.

Seek Advice from a Fort Lauderdale Workers’ Compensation Attorney 

Do you need assistance filing a workers’ compensation claim or appealing a denial of benefits for an injury that occurred in your healthcare workplace? Nurses and other healthcare professionals sustain many types of injuries on the job, but it is important to know that many of them can result in successful workers’ compensation claims. Our experienced Fort Lauderdale workers’ compensation attorneys are here to help. Contact the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. today to learn more about our services.

Resource:

bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/article/occupational-injuries-and-illnesses-among-registered-nurses.htm