Healthcare workers often work long hours that can affect their physical health. Risks for healthcare workers include back injuries from moving and lifting patients, infections from contaminated needles, and injuries from repetitive activity. Workers’ comp may help them with medical treatment and partial lost wages when injured or developing illnesses.
Long Working Hours
Depending on the nature of their job, employees may be required to work longer than the minimum weekly working time. It can include training or work-related travel, working lunches, staying late due to paid overtime, and more. Paramedics and EMTs typically work full-time hours. Some people work more than forty hours per week.
Their schedules can include nights, weekends, and holidays because EMTs and paramedics must be available to work in emergencies. Occasionally, EMTs and paramedics work 12-, 18-, or 24-hour shifts. In many nations, overworking has been a significant concern for a long time and can harm one’s health.
Workers’ compensation systems are designed to provide partial medical care and income protection for injured workers. Working longer hours is increasingly prevalent due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
If you have suffered an injury or illness while at work, get documentation from your doctor and file for workers’ comp. You will need the financial support to recover fully from your workplace injuries. To discuss your options if you were hurt or were told you had a crippling occupational ailment, speak with a qualified workers’ compensation attorney.
Aging Workforce
As the baby boomers age and demand for long-term care surges, healthcare workers must adapt. That includes focusing on safe patient handling and mobility standards to minimize injury risks. The aging workforce may also signal a need for a renewed focus on workers’ comp issues. Studies suggest that older workers take longer to recover from work injuries and are more likely to have medical-only claims converted to lost-time cases.
Providing job-specific physical abilities testing and encouraging employees to report early signs of discomfort or pain could help reduce workers’ compensation claims. Matching worker capabilities with job demands and promoting wellness programs for older employees may also help lower losses. Workers’ compensation laws cover medical bills, rehab fees and a percentage of missing wages for injured workers.
Overexertion
Due to their physically demanding jobs, healthcare employees in America experience some of the highest rates of occupational injuries. It also reflects that many healthcare workers suffer from chronic conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, joint pain and sleep apnea. Overexertion is an injury that occurs when an employee uses more force than they should to perform a task.
These injuries can have major consequences, whether that means over-stretching a muscle, dropping a heavy box, or twisting too hard. It’s important to remember that anyone working in the healthcare industry who is injured on the job is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. It can assist with both lost wages and medical bills. It can even be used to pay for a home nurse to help with the injured person’s recovery.
Slips & Falls
Slips and falls are a significant workplace danger. It is the number one cause of workplace injuries that lead to days missed from work and the second-leading cause of deaths at work. Healthcare workers are especially vulnerable to these accidents because of the type of work they do. Many workers have to carry heavy loads or move large equipment, and they may need to wear the right footwear or have the proper traction.
A lack of safety equipment like handrails in stairwells, poor lighting, and floors with different levels of traction can also contribute to slips and falls. Returning a healthcare worker to their job after an injury can involve following doctor-directed restrictions for some time. It may include reassigning them to a less strenuous position in the workplace.
Mental Health Issues
Although it might affect workers’ compensation claims, mental health is an important component of total wellness. Stress and anxiety are common for healthcare workers. Still, if these issues interfere with one’s ability to do their job, they may be eligible for coverage through workers’ compensation. Some states exclude mental health issues from workers’ compensation, but others cover them to some extent.
It includes vicarious trauma experienced by healthcare workers when they interact empathetically with patients who have suffered from primary traumatic stress. Getting help should never be a roadblock for workers who need it. Providing a supportive workplace environment and offering workers’ comp benefits for mental health issues can help. These benefits can sometimes be combined with those for a physical injury.
