The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will launch a workplace safety program in response to a recent federal report that shows an increasing incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries among healthcare workers.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report on nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2010. The incidence rate for healthcare support workers increased 6 percent to 283 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. This increase is more than twice the rate for all private and public sector workers at 118 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.
OSHA is responding by launching a National Emphasis Program on Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities in the next few months. Through the initiative, OSHA plans to increase inspections, focusing on back injuries from resident handling or lifting patients; exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other infectious diseases; workplace violence; and slips, trips and falls.
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The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report on nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2010. The incidence rate for healthcare support workers increased 6 percent to 283 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. This increase is more than twice the rate for all private and public sector workers at 118 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.
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OSHA is responding by launching a National Emphasis Program on Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities in the next few months. Through the initiative, OSHA plans to increase inspections, focusing on back injuries from resident handling or lifting patients; exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other infectious diseases; workplace violence; and slips, trips and falls.
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