Occupational Health and Safety for Nurses Benefits Patients, Too

Details

• Personal Author:
  Caruso, Claire C.
• Description:
  Although the rehabilitation work environment and other healthcare settings may appear clean and orderly, they actually expose workers to many hazards such as life-threatening infections including HIV and hepatitis. Workers also may be repeatedly exposed to hazardous chemicals, such as cleaning agents, cancer drugs, and other toxic substances. In addition, healthcare workers often are called upon to perform physically demanding tasks, such as patient lifting, and they may experience latex allergy, violence, and job stress. Compared to other industrial sectors, the healthcare social assistance (HCSA) sector sustains the second highest number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses (Bureau of Labor Statistics & U.S. Department of Labor, 2006). In 2005 the combined number of injury and illness cases involving days away from work for nursing aides, orderlies and attendants, and registered nurses accounted for more than 30% of all occupational injuries and illnesses (National Occupational Research Agenda [NORA] Healthcare Social Assistance Council, 2009). Also in 2005, two-thirds of personal assaults and violent acts associated with occupations occurred in the HCSA sector. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Disabled-workers Disease-prevention Diseases Health-care-facilities Health-care-personnel Injuries Injury-prevention Lost-work-days Medical-facilities Medical-personnel Nurses Nursing Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Occupational-health-nursing Sociological-factors Work-environment

  More +
• ISSN:
  0278-4807
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037515
• Citation:
  Rehabil Nurs 2010 Sep/Oct; 35(5):176, 222
• Email:
  ccaruso@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance ; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Rehabilitation Nursing
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b4ae8b89925e3d1281559ea61040256fcc7b3c91b0e9663171ace68ddcc923622fd087dbc10e985c7d87467a1e970f5474f26f752c75c8b0f5ca9469cf4e1bf6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188597/cdc_188597_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 148.10 KB ]