How to Protect Against Injuries When Working in a Hospital

Do you work in a hospital? Hospitals are an essential component of our nation's healthcare infrastructure. Unfortunately, though, working in a hospital can leave you susceptible to injuries and illnesses. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), hospital workers take more days off work due to injuries and illnesses than workers in both the construction and manufacturing industries.

Practice Safe Lifting

When working in a hospital, you should practice safe lifting to minimize your risk of a back injury. While hospital workers are vulnerable to a myriad of injuries, back injuries are among the common. You'll have to lift patients out of beds, thereby stressing your spinal column. If you lift patients incorrectly, it could result in a musculoskeletal injury of your lower back.

Beware of Spilled Liquids

Along with back injuries, hospital workers are susceptible to slip-and-fall injuries. As you may know, most hospitals are constructed with hard floors. They don't have carpet floors. Rather, they have tile or ceramic floors for sanitation purposes. Unfortunately, these hard floors increase the risk of slip-and-fall injuries. If liquid is spilled, you may accidentally slip and fall while walking over it. Therefore, you should strive to clean any spilled liquids in a timely manner.

Be Conscious of Other Workers

You should be conscious of other workers when working in a hospital so that you don't accidentally walk into them. Because of the fast-paced nature of hospitals, combined with their array of many small corridors and rooms, injuries can occur from collisions. If you turn a corner too fast, you may inadvertently walk into another worker. In turn, either you or your coworker may sustain a physical injury.

Wash Hands Frequently

Hospitals are a haven for germs. After all, patients typically visit hospitals to receive medical care for their own injuries and illnesses. If you neglect to wash your hands, you may contract an infectious illness from a patient. You can lower your risk of catching an infectious illness by frequently washing your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap.

Don't Overexert Yourself

It's important not to overexert yourself when working in a hospital. Overexertion injuries are all all-too-common occurrence among hospital workers. OSHA, in fact, states that "overexertion or bodily reaction" is the single most common cause of injury in hospitals. Therefore, you should pace yourself so that you aren't susceptible to overexertion injuries.