As a nurse, you are extremely knowledgeable about your patients, but patients can be your greatest threat. One of the most dangerous things you can do is move heavy patients and equipment. Is it ever safe to manually lift a patient? Even if you practice the standard lift recommended by the CDC, the weight of…
When you think of an employee dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the first occupations that often come to mind are EMT, police officer or firefighter. Trauma, however, can occur in any occupation. It was that realization that led to a newly expanded bill to protect many Colorado workers. In April of 2017, Colorado Governor,…
If white-collar workers suffer the most from repetitive stress injuries, then java-collar workers are surely suffering more. Work-related injuries among baristas are on the rise, comprising mostly of elbow, wrist and joint problems from repetitive stress. Some have even coined the term “barista wrist” although baristas suffering from medial epicondylitis, or golfer’s elbow, is just…
Nursing is a dangerous profession. Nurses and other hospital employees work with infectious people, handle sharp objects that may have been exposed to blood-borne pathogens and work with equipment that uses radiation or dangerous chemicals. In this setting, injuries from strains, slips and falls may not seem very important. According to the Occupational Safety and…
If inhaled in high enough concentrations for too long, hydrogen sulfide, sometimes called H2S gas, can be deadly. Although industries have exposure limits put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), it is up to each individual employer to maintain the monitoring equipment and enforce proper safety protocols. Like any occupation, productivity…
Nurses and nursing assistants have difficult jobs that include long hours and intense physical activity. Caring for patients is strenuous work. In fact, nursing is such a grueling occupation that its risk for workplace injury is often higher than many other occupations. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), hospitals in the U.S….