When you think of dangerous occupations, the first thing to come to mind may be construction or even manufacturing jobs. In reality, however, hospital workers are at a greater risk of missing days of work due to a workplace-related illness or injury.
This may be due to the fact that the healthcare sector is one of the largest sectors to provide services in the United States. There are simply more workers per hospital than in many other types of industries.
Common injuries differ amongst types of hospitals
According to a study published on the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the most common type of injury depends on the ownership type of the hospital. For example, state government hospitals have a higher rate of injuries due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals. Private and local government hospitals have a higher incidence of injuries resulting from overexertion and bodily reactions.
One reason for this difference is that state-run hospitals mostly deal with psychiatric patients, as well as patients dealing with substance abuse.
Fatal workplace injuries are rare
Although hospital workers may run the greatest risk of workplace injuries, fatalities resulting from those injuries are rare. Overexertion, slips, trips and falls are the most common injuries that put employees out of work for a period of time.
The majority of injuries across all types of hospitals result in employees being unable to return to work for more than 30 days. It is important to understand your options if you sustain an injury on the job and are unable to work.
