Some jobs have more risk for a worker dying than others. Logging, agriculture and construction are all industries with an elevated risk of fatalities on the job. Other industries have high risk for workers getting hurt.
Hospitals and other medical settings seem like a safe environment. However, the people who provide medical care to others can and often do wind up in need of medical treatment of their own. Despite many people thinking of medicine as a safe profession, the statistics about workplace injuries tell a different story.
Workers in hospitals lead other industries for lost-time injury risk
Health care is actually the most dangerous profession in the United States when it comes to the possibility of an injury on the job. According to data provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), hospital workers have more risk for an injury on the job than even construction workers.
Every year, 157.5 out of every 100,000 full-time hospital workers get hurt. Only 147.4 out of every 10,000 full-time construction workers get hurt each year. The average across all private industries is 105.8 injuries for every 10,000 workers, which means that medical professionals have almost 150% the risk of people in other careers.
Those injuries come in many different forms. Some of the top causes of medical worker injury include violence, accidental contact with objects, exposure to dangerous substances and falls. The leading cause of injury responsible for roughly half (48%) of all lost-time incidents in hospitals is overexertion or bodily reaction, often due to lifting and other physical demands of patient care.
Time off is typically crucial for medical professionals who want to keep working
Whether you get hurt during a violent attack by a psychotic patient or throw out your back trying to help someone up off the floor when they fell, you need to give your body time to heal and strengthen itself again before you try to return to a demanding job.=
Workers’ compensation benefits are important for those who need medical care or time off to recover when they get hurt at their medical job. Not only can they cover your medical costs, but the disability benefits could help you cover your bills until you can get back to work.