Common Hospital Employee Injuries

Hospitals are among the most hazardous places to work in North Carolina. There’s any number of life-altering situations a hospital employee might experience while on the job. They include but are not limited to slippery conditions, unstable patients, and heavy lifting. Nurses are infamous for having back problems because of their duties, but all hospital staff are at risk of suffering injuries on the job. Orderlies, transporters, security personnel, and even janitors all have increased odds of something happening to them simply because they work in the hospital. Greenville hospitals may look like a good place to work on the outside, but working at one may mean taking on a higher risk of injury.

Common Injuries and Their Causes

People who arrive in the hospital are not at their best either physically or mentally. They are entirely dependent on the staff to take care of them. Care consists of using needles for injections, scalpels for getting access to the internal parts of the body, moving them from one bed to another, and in some cases, subduing an unstable patient. Hospitals are also notorious for overworking staff for higher cost benefit or a lack of qualified personnel to fill open positions.

Some of the more common injuries we’ve seen from hospital employees include:

  • Slips and falls – fluids are present in almost every department of a hospital and clean-up is a constant battle. In some situations, such as an emergency room, it’s difficult to keep up with the clearance of fluids on the floor.
  • Lack of staff – As previously mentioned, hospitals tend to be understaffed for various reasons. Sometimes it’s due to operating costs, sometimes it’s a lack of qualified labor. Those who are employed wind up working harder and longer hours which leads to mistakes that can lead to a personal injury.
  • Violent patients – Greenville is home to the Pitt County Detention Center and seriously injured or mentally disturbed inmates can wind up at the hospital. Staff get exposed to individuals who seek to do harm and don’t care who’s in the way.
  • Handling patients – lifting patients from one bed to the next requires the use of the upper body and lower back. The lumbar area of the spine receives most of the strain from the lifting, and repeated lifting activity results in painful damage that makes it more difficult to perform.

These are just some of the injuries that lead many hospital workers to file for workers’ compensation. Some injuries make it difficult for an employee to work for a period of time while others are life-altering and career ending.

What is the Responsibility of the Employer to Their Employees?

Employers have a duty to provide a safe place to work for their employees. Hospitals face a higher level of difficulty to provide safety, but some types of injuries are preventable with diligence. A hospital that doesn’t focus on maintaining a reasonable level of safety is more likely to deal with workers’ compensation claims as a result.

How to Handle a Workers’ Compensation Claim

A workers’ compensation claim begins when an injury is sustained while being paid to perform a job. The state of North Carolina requires the filing of specific forms to notify the state and the employer that a claim has been filed against them. However, the employer has the right to deny the claim and make it more difficult for the injured to get their compensation and medical treatment. No matter how the employer handles the claim, our law firm can still provide useful assistance in evaluating the situation and taking appropriate action on behalf of the injured.

Greenville, NC Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

I’m Brian Ricci, a workers’ compensation attorney in Greenville, NC. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury at work, please call me at please call me at (252) 777-2222 or (888) 484-6881 for free, friendly advice.

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