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Voluntary Protection Programs INSafe

DOL > Worker Safety Initiatives > Healthcare Healthcare

According to the most recent injury and illness rates released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for Indiana, nearly six of every 100 workers in the Hoosier healthcare and social assistance industry suffered work-related injury or illness in 2010. While the 2010 rate of 5.9 per 100 workers showed a 9% decrease over 2009, the injury and illness rate for the healthcare industry is 35 percent above the Hoosier construction industry and nearly 12 percent higher than the Indiana manufacturing industry. With more than 348,000 Hoosiers workers in the private sector healthcare industry, it is critical to ensure occupational safety and health outreach in this segment.

In addition to private industry healthcare workers, public sector workers in this industry are also at risk for suffering occupational injuries and illnesses as well. In 2010, the state and local government healthcare sector also experienced high injury and illness rates. According to the BLS SOII, the rate in public sector healthcare is 12.8 per 100 workers. 

Healthcare workers from both private and public sector are employed in an array of facilities in many different occupations. These Hoosiers work in facilities that include hospitals, clinics, dental offices, out-patient surgery centers, birthing centers as well as nursing homes. Workers in this industry are subject to numerous occupational safety and health concerns. Some of those work-related hazards include bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards, potential chemical and drug exposures, respiratory hazards, and ergonomic hazards from lifting and conducting repetitive tasks.

While the overall rate for Indiana's healthcare and social assistance is the third highest in the state, just behind arts, entertainment and recreation (7.9 per 100 workers) and agriculture (7.2 per 100 workers), subsectors in private industry healthcare have even higher injury and illness rates. Nursing and residential care facilities indicate a non-fatal worker injury and illness rate of 9.8 per 100 workers, and hospitals reported an occupational injury and illness rate of 7.2 per 100 workers.

In 2010, the Indiana healthcare workers suffered more than 16,000 non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses. Over 20% of these injuries resulted in one or missed days for the affected worker. The average number of days of missed work for injured workers in this industry was five. The top three natures of injury, events resulting in injury and sources of injury appear in the chart below.

Proactive Approach

To reduce the likelihood of occupational injuries and illness among healthcare workers, employers should place an emphasis on developing policies and procedures for prevention. The development and implementation of a safety and health management system is critical. Core components of an effective safety and health management system include management commitment to and employee involvement in the program, hazard prevention and control as well as occupational safety and health training for all levels of employees - managers, supervisors and front-line employees. Working together, employers and employees in this industry can make an impact to reduce and eliminate many of the depicted occupational safety and health hazards.

OSHA Standards

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for healthcare facilities are addressed in specific standards for the general industry. Highlighted OSHA standards for healthcare facilities include:

The standards referenced above do not make up a comprehensive list. Additional OSHA standards may apply to your workplace. Be sure to review OSHA's general industry standards - 29 CFR 1910 for other requirements. In addition to, section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) and Indiana Code 22-8-1.1, Section 2, known as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to provide employees with a workplace that is free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

In addition to these highlighted standards, a listing of federal OSHA's most frequently cited standards for healthcare is available by clicking here. Also, be sure to review the Employer Resources section at the bottom of this page for additional assistance and access to OSHA eTools, online tutorials, training, etc.

Additional Resources

The Indiana Department of Labor's INSafe division provides free, confidential and onsite OSHA consultation to Hoosier employers. Employers will not receive citations for safety and health hazards identified by INSafe Safety and Health Consultants. Instead, INSafe Consultants proactively work with employers and employees to identify and correct these hazards. Requests for onsite OSHA consultation will not initiate an IOSHA inspection.

For more information about INSafe, please click here. Employers may request a free onsite OSHA consultation online at www.in.gov/dol/insafeconsultation.

Other helpful website links, resources and online training tools may be found below.