Workplace injuries and accidents are, ironically, very common for health care workers, according to recently published research.

Although the health care industry has been a huge target of public scrutiny in the past decade, the perspective is usually from the patient standpoint, criticizing the nature or administration of care, health insurance coverage, etc.

However, some recently published research from Medical Staffing Network Healthcare LLC sheds some light on how the health care industry may, in fact, be risky for the workers who run it. This research, which was primarily based on data and information gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a 2013 Gallup report, revealed that workplace injuries and accidents are, ironically, very common for health care workers, who are responsible for helping others heal.

Workplace Injuries Are More Common for Health Care Workers Than You May Think, Study Finds

Specifically, the study found the following:

• More than 23 percent of all cases of occupational illnesses affecting American workers plague health care workers (including – but not limited to – nurses, radiologists, surgeons, doctors, etc.).
• Health care workers sustain approximately 21 percent of all workplace injuries that affect American workers each year.
• In 2012, about 621,000 health care workers in the private sector reportedly sustained workplace injuries and/or developed occupational illnesses.
• While health care workers in any setting were at risk of being involved in workplace accidents and, as a result, sustaining workplace injuries, those with the greatest risk included health care workers who were employed in hospital settings.
• Health care workers employed in nursing homes and residential care facilities had the second highest risk of sustaining workplace injuries (followed by health care professionals who operated ambulances).
• When health care workers suffered a workplace injury, the most common injuries they sustained included sprains and muscle strains.
• The effect of such rampant rates of workplace injuries among health care workers in the U.S. reportedly caused these employees to miss about 168,000 days of work (between 2010 and 2012).

Colorado Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

If you are among the many health care workers who has sustained a workplace injury and are considering (or in the process of) filing a workers’ compensation claim, you cannot rely upon your employer or insurance companies to look out for your best interests. In fact, both your employer and insurance companies will be more focused on their own bottom lines instead of your current and future wellbeing. This can make the system adversarial for injured workers and potentially even put them in situations in which their legitimate workers’ compensation claims are undercut or even flat-out denied.

In such cases, it’s essential that injured workers contact the Colorado workers’ compensation lawyers at the Law Office of Michael P. Dominick. Our legal professionals are experienced at going up against corporate lawyers and insurance companies, and we have a proven track record of success when it comes to securing our Clients the maximum possible compensation for their injuries and financial losses. For a thorough evaluation of your case, along with expert advice on the best manner in which to move forward, call us at (303) 447-2644.