Premier Workers' Compensation And
Personal Injury Representation

Why are nurses at such high risk for injuries and illnesses?

On Behalf of | Jan 10, 2020 | Health Care Worker Injuries |

Registered nurses (RNs) are critical to the health care system in the United States. These medical professionals bridge the gap between patients and doctors. They’re the individuals who provide dedicated care to sick individuals when they most need help. This is why it’s no wonder that these workers have some of the highest rates of illness and injury among all medical professionals.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that there were over three million RNs in this country in 2016. That same year, there were nearly 20,000 nurses who suffered nonfatal illnesses or injuries that led to them miss a day or more from work.

Nearly three-quarters of those injuries involved a nurse working in a hospital setting. The second-highest percentage of RNs who were injured were employed in the ambulatory health care services sector. The remaining RNs who suffered injuries worked in either residential care or nursing homes.

Nurses who regularly move or lift patients run the risk of suffering back injuries. Many of them engage in bending, standing, walking and stretching on a routine basis. All of this makes them vulnerable to suffering slips, trips and falls and becoming fatigued.

RNs also are vulnerable to suffering sharps injuries and having allergic reactions to latex and other medical-grade materials. Nurses also are regularly exposed to infectious diseases, cleaning chemicals, radiation and drugs that may all be hazardous to their health.

There are many dangers that nurses are exposed to every day on the job. These can adversely impact their ability to perform their job as well as they should. This can, in turn, affect the quality of care that patients receive. A health care injuries attorney can help you secure compensation for your work-related injuries or illness if you can attribute your condition to your job here in California.

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