Work Injuries in the Healthcare Industry Are a Serious Problem

Healthcare workers face one of the highest injury rates among workers in any industry in the United States. According to a report in the American Society of Safety Engineers' Professional Safety journal, in 2011, 15.2 million healthcare workers suffered injuries across tens of thousands of work sites. According to one report in FierceHealthcare, healthcare has an injury and illness rate of 5.6 per 100 full-time workers compared with 4.2 for all of the private sector. In fact, the number of work injuries to healthcare workers ranks behind only outdoor wilderness professions, such as commercial loggers and fishermen.

According to surveys by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses suffer more than 35,00 back and other injuries every year that require these workers to miss time from work. Statistics show that nurses suffer back and other musculoskeletal injuries at three times the rate of construction workers. These injuries are often caused by lifting heavy objects and patients. Fortunately, under California law, hospitals are required to protect nursing staff from getting hurt by lifting patients. For example, the hospital must provide accessible patient lifting equipment and must provide proper training on how to use lifting equipment. Failure by the hospital to follow these rules can result in a finding of liability against the hospital for causing a workplace injury.

The statistics show that injuries to healthcare workers are a serious problem. One medical center is using a new approach in an attempt to reduce workplace injuries. UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco plans to use a fleet of 25 robots that will, among a wide variety of other tasks, carry blood samples, food, medication and more around the facility.

The use of robots is intended to lessen the likelihood of workplace injuries to healthcare workers by reducing the physical strain placed on them. In particular, the robots will be used to help with strenuous activities, such as lifting hundreds of pounds of bed sheets. Furthermore, the robots will also be used to open doors, call elevators, and travel around the medical center to provide other assistance.The robots will perform both scheduled and on-demand tasks such as delivering meals to patients, picking up their dirty trays, and delivering medicine or running specimens to the lab.

If you have been injured at work and have questions regarding your ability to claim compensation for your injuries, the San Jose workplace injury attorneys at Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, L.L.P. can advise you on your legal rights. It is important to have an experienced work injury attorney who can help you obtain the compensation that you deserve. There may be multiple negligent parties that we can help you pursue in a third party claim.

Contact our lawyers for a free initial consultation by calling (408) 289-1417. We are based in San Jose and offer legal advice to injured workers through the state, including Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Monterey County, Alameda County,  San Benito County, and the Bay Area.