In the past ten years, employment rates in the health care industry have increased. For all these workers, the risk of getting injured is actually higher than workers in other industries. A recent report by a consumer advocacy group shows that the total number of injuries suffered in the health care sector is higher than the number in other industries, such as construction.
The group argues that OSHA is not doing all it can to help reduce this number. OSHA spends more time inspecting construction sites than it does health care facilities. One reason may be that construction sites have a higher rate of fatal accidents. But even so, should health care facilities be inspected more often to help protect their workers?
OSHA responded by noting that “employers have the legal responsibility of providing safe workplaces.” For health care workers, this means that employers should be cognizant of the different types of injuries that could occur on-the-job and provide a safe environment to prevent those injuries from occurring.
Source: Bloomberg BNA, “OSHA Fails to Protect Workers in Growing Health Care Industry, Advocacy Group Says,” Robert Iafolla, July 18, 2013.
