Workers Compensation Attorneys: Common healthcare worker injuries in CA
Nurses, hospital staff and other health care workers have an important job to do. They provide crucial services to patients no matter where they are. Healthcare workers may be working at private or public hospitals, medical clinics or they may even be serving patients at their homes. Jobs in the healthcare sector are also becoming part of a fast-growing market all over the world. The job market is flourishing because of a growing population, and an increase in the aging population.
Like any other job, healthcare workers are also at an increased risk of suffering from an injury at the job. Taking care of patients is not an easy task. In fact, healthcare jobs are quite demanding physically and can take a toll on the body of the caregiver or health worker. The worker may be injured as a result of the different things they encounter on their job on a daily basis.
Types of injuries
Workers in the healthcare field are exposed to a number of hazards each day. According to statistics, healthcare workers are at an increased risk of illness as well as non-fatal occupational injury. This ratio of illness and injury is higher among these workers when compared to workers in any other occupation.
There is a variety of different jobs in the healthcare field, from registered nurses to home caregiving staff. Jobs in the healthcare sector share several risks which increase the chances of an on-the-job injury. Some of the common causes of injury include:
- Repetitive stress
- Activities that involve handling patients
- Use of needle sticks
- Violence
- Slip and falls
- Increased work pressure
- Exposure to toxins
The most common types of injuries sustained by healthcare workers include sprains, slipped discs, infections and infectious diseases, broken bones, head injuries from slip and falls, as well as cuts and bruises as a result of violence. If the healthcare worker is dealing with dangerous patients, they may experience other injuries as well.
Any healthcare worker who suffers an injury on the job is entitled to get compensation and benefits by filing a workers’ compensation claim. The claim allows the workers to obtain compensation from their employer if they have suffered a work-related injury. It allows the workers to cover any costs that they incurred as a result of the injury. Workers compensation also pays partial lost wages if the injury caused the health worker to miss work.
In other cases, if the worker becomes disabled, temporarily or permanently, then total disability benefits may be available to them. In case the worker is able to work at a different job, then they will receive partial disability benefits. In the tragic case of death of the worker, death benefits are paid to surviving dependents of the worker through workers’ compensation.
Some injury cases at work may be due to the negligence of someone else. In such cases, the individual who has suffered a personal injury can file a personal injury lawsuit instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim.
