Nurses spend their time looking after the health of others. While doing so they often put their health at risk with nursing having one of the highest rates of injury and illness of any profession.
Understanding the risks can reduce the chance a nurse needs to take time off work. Here are some of the biggest risks:
Chemicals
Hospitals typically use strong cleaning chemicals which could cause harm through direct contact, inappropriate mixing, or incorrect labeling.
Bending, lifting and moving
Nurses’ backs can come under a lot of strain, both from one-off incidents and the long-term repetition of movements required to handle patients each day.
Sharps
Not only could sharp instruments such as needles or scalpels cut a nurse, but they could also pass on an infection if they have first been used on a patient. It would only take a moment’s inattention by the patient or nurse for the pointed end to come into contact with the nurse.
Infections
Infections are not just transmitted by sharps. Many transmit through the air or from contact with surfaces.
Patients and members of the public
People admitted to the hospital may be high on drugs or alcohol. They might physically resist a nurse’s attempt to help them and injure the nurse. Visitors could also cause problems, for example, if the patient is there after a fight and the nurse is caught in the middle when a visitor comes in to try to continue the fight.
The extreme mental toll
A lot of nurses need to take time off because of the mental toll the job takes on them. Nursing can be incredibly stressful and nurses are also likely to witness some harrowing situations.
If you are injured at work, you should seek expert legal help to understand your workers’ compensation rights. A consultation with a certified specialist workers’ comp lawyer in Pennsylvania will give you the best chance of getting all the compensation you deserve.