Top Hazards and Solutions
Work-related slip, trip, and fall incidents can frequently result in serious disabling injuries that impact a healthcare employee’s ability to do his or her job, often resulting in:
- lost workdays,
- reduced productivity,
- expensive worker compensation claims, and
- diminished ability to care for patients.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [2009], the incidence rate of lost-workday injuries from slips, trips, and falls (STFs) on the same level in hospitals was 38.2 per 10,000 employees, which was 90% greater than the average rate for all other private industries combined (20.1 per 10,000 employees).
STFs as a whole are the second most common cause of lost-workday injuries in hospitals. The large population of workers at risk and the frequent occurrence make STF accidents a substantial problem for health care workers.
This module takes a closer look at several top hazards that cause STFs in the healthcare setting.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-1. Which type of accident in healthcare has a much higher rate of causing injuries than the rate experienced by other private industries?
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