Nursing and Hospital Worker Injuries in the Workplace
At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we work with nurses and other hospital and health care employees who have been injured on the job. Our experienced workers’ compensation lawyers in Seaford, Wilmington and Newark are advocates for your right to fair compensation for your workplace injury.
Hospital workers face countless hazards each day at work. Nurses and other hospital workers face many challenges each day from overexertion to slip and fall accidents and exposure to diseases. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the likelihood of injury or illness that results in days away from work is actually higher in the health care industry than in construction or manufacturing, which are two of the most dangerous industries in the United States. According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), the rate of overexertion injuries averaged across all industries was 38 per 10,000 full time workers. The overexertion injury rate for hospital workers was twice the average at 76 per 10,000.
Examples of some of the workplace hazards that nurses and other healthcare industry workers experience
Some of the potentially hazardous conditions that are a part of everyday work life for hospital workers include:
- Neck and back overexertion injuries from manual patient handling
- Back, shoulder and wrist injuries
- Needle sticks and cuts from sharp instruments
- Slip and fall injuries on wet hospital floors
- Sprains and strains and other musculoskeletal injuries
- Blood borne diseases and exposure to other contaminants and pathogens
- Injuries from toxins and contamination from bodily fluids
- Hazardous pharmaceutical lab work
- Head injuries from falls
- Broken bones
These are just a few of the examples of the types of injuries that healthcare workers are exposed to on a typical day at work.
Workers’ compensation benefits for health care workers
If you are a healthcare worker and you suffer an injury on the job, you may be eligible to file a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation provides partial wage replacement and medical costs when you sustain an injury during the course of your regular work duties. You do not need to prove the hospital’s negligence in order to claim these benefits that are paid by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company. In the event that your injury becomes permanent, you may be able to qualify for permanent disability benefits. If a worker should die from a workplace injury, death benefits are paid through workers’ compensation to family members.
Nurses and other hospital workers face many hazards in the course of their work day. At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we help clients get the compensation that they deserve when they have been hurt at work. Please fill out our contact form to make an appointment for a free consultation at our offices in Wilmington, Newark or Seaford.
Related:
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.