#Workplace Safety
By Team Seaglass
The physical requirements of providing quality patient care typically takes a debilitating toll on the caregiver. In fact, the average nurse lifts 1.8 tons over the course of an 8-hour shift. That is equivalent to the weight of your SUV! 
Take Betty for example, an experienced nurse at a local skilled nursing facility, spends her day assisting residents with their daily activities like toileting, dressing, dining, social activity, etc. But, because Betty’s residents have limited mobility, Betty must manually move the residents. One day, as Betty was performing her normal duties, she injured her back requiring urgent medical treatment. With medical costs and lost time from work, the Workers Compensation claim cost the employer over $350,000, and Betty was never able to fully recover to her pre-injury status.
Does this sound familiar to you?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 69% of injuries in healthcare occupations result from musculoskeletal disorders since much of a caregivers’ workday correlates to conducting high-risk patient handling tasks like patient ambulation, repositioning, and transfers. Nearly all these activities involve using the caregiver’s own body to mobilize the patient. The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) recommends a maximum lifting limit of 35 lbs for an “ideal patient handling situation”. Assistive equipment is suggested if the weight to be lifted by any single person exceeds 35 lbs. That’s the entire human race… except for infants and toddlers. In other words, there is no such thing as a “SAFE” manual lift. Just adding a second caregiver to aid in the transfer is not enough to limit the injury risk. In fact, studies show that the likelihood of injury to multiple caregivers is higher when multiple people engage in the patient handling. The weight, coupled with awkward posturing, maneuvering the living load, and repetitiveness of these tasks significantly increases the risk of injury.
The Benefit of Assistive Devices
The investment in assistive devices, such as mechanical lifting aids, repositioning devices, and other practical tools can reduce injury frequency and business expenses associated with workplace injuries. Investment in these tools typically offer a return on investment within 3 years. The following benefits are invaluable incentives for investing in patient handling devices:
Patient Benefits
- Improved quality of care
- Enhanced freedom, safety, and comfort
- Faster recovery time
- Reduced risk of falls
- Reduced events of skin tears and bruising
Caregiver Benefits
- Reduced employee injuries
- Improved job satisfaction & morale
- More efficient staffing levels
- Staff can work to an older age without risk of injury
Employer Benefits
- Higher patient satisfaction
- Reduced injury frequency
- Reduced Workers Compensation costs
- Improved recruitment & employee retention
- Improved operational efficiency & regulatory compliance
Seaglass Insurance Group is here to help you improve risk management outcomes through innovative and customized approaches to safe patient handling & mobility needs. For more information, contact Tonya Hawker, SVP of Risk Management- thawker@seaglassinsurance.com