Nursing Home Employees At Risk For South Florida Lifting Injuries
Manufacturing and construction workers in Florida are not the only ones that perform back-breaking work. In fact, there are many jobs that require their employees to do physical labor and lift heavy items.Nursing home employees, for example, are workers who have a high injury rate due to lifting, pushing and strenuous physical labor caring for the elderly.
Surprisingly, nursing homes in Florida are dangerous for nursing home workers, as nurses and certified nursing assistants are constantly lifting residents who are disabled or impaired to do things, such as:
- Getting in or out of bed
- Using the toilet
- Bathing themselves
- Sitting in and getting out of a chair or wheelchair
Because the residents in nursing homes need help taking care of themselves, it places physical pressure on nursing home employees, which often leads to South Florida lifting injuries. These above mentioned tasks are what these employees engage in daily, which requires a lot of strength in order to transfer, move, push, pull, lift or assist another human.
Although nursing home employees are typically taught how to move and lift correctly in their training, sometimes one traumatic work accident can cause a back injury in Florida. Additionally, lifting overtime can lead to an injury due to repetitive strains placed on the back.
Nursing home employees generally know how to lift properly, but if they are understaffed it may cause a worker to move quickly and cut corners.When employee and staffing reductions result in a South Florida workplace injury, the employer may have a legal liability to the injured employee.
Types of lifting injuries include:
- Muscle spasms
- Strains and sprains
- Back injuries
- Lumbar injuries
- Herniated disc
- And more
Back injuries can be complicated to diagnose, and often employers dismiss back injuries as a pre-existing condition. This is why employees need to talk with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer in Fort Lauderdale to find out if they qualify for benefits. Protect your rights to recovery and call a qualified work accident attorney in Broward County at the Law Offices of David Benenfeld for a free legal at 954-677-0155.
