CDC Report: Healthcare Workers Account for 60 Percent of OSHA-Recordable Injuries

According to a new report from the CDC, nurses and nurse assistants accounted for nearly 60 percent of all identified OSHA-recordable injuries from 2012 to 2014.

The most costly injuries were musculoskeletal in nature. In 2011, healthcare workers experienced seven times more musculoskeletal injuries than the national rate. The CDC said there were multiple reasons this could be the case, including:

• Overweight, obese and acutely ill residents
• High resident-to-nurse ratios
• Long shifts
• Efforts to mobilize residents almost immediately after medical interventions

Of the 10,680 injuries reported to OSHA between 2012 and 2014:

• 4,674 involved resident handling and movement
• 3,972 were the result of slips, trips and falls
• 2,034 resulted from workplace violence

To view the report and learn more, click here.