Healthcare’s Most Dangerous Workplaces

From Becker’s Hospital Review

In 2023, private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, down 8.4% from 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Nov. 8.

Nonfatal recordable workplace injuries and illnesses include cases with days away from work, job restriction or transfer, along with other recordable cases.

In 2023, total recordable injuries and illnesses decreased in the healthcare and social assistance sector to 562,500 cases, down from 665,300 in 2022. The rate of nonfatal injury or illness per 100 full-time workers was 3.6 last year, down from 4.5 the previous year.

If illnesses are removed, the healthcare and social services sector recorded 471,600 nonfatal injuries in 2023. This is up from 443,800 the previous year and higher than any other sector. By comparison, 334,700 nonfatal injuries were recorded in retail trade and 326,400 in manufacturing.

Some of the healthcare subsectors with the highest rates of nonfatal injury or illness per 100 full-time workers are:

  • Ambulance services — 7.4
  • Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) — 6.9
  • Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly — 6.5
  • Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals — 6.3
  • General medical and surgical hospitals — 5.1

Healthcare workers face physical demands and safety challenges in their jobs, including the potential to sustain injuries linked to violence. Various groups and organizations have taken steps to help ensure a safer work environment. For example, the American Hospital Association and the FBI recently partnered to mitigate targeted violence in healthcare settings.

The post Healthcare’s Most Dangerous Workplaces appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in My Healthy Pennsylvania, Rural Health PA

Related Articles

Tell OSHA: Protect Latino Workers from the Harms of Extreme Heat

As temperatures increase to scorching new benchmarks every year, weather experts advise people to avoid prolonged exposure to extreme heat, which can have disastrous health consequences, from heat stroke to death.  But not everyone can escape the heat’s harmful effects.  Heat can create hazardous working conditions for workers in labor-heavy outdoor industries, such as construction, …
The post Tell OSHA: Protect Latino Workers from the Harms of Extreme Heat appeared first on Salud America.

As Social Need Screening Advances, Transportation Remains an Afterthought

Some big changes in 2022 and 2023 have set up the healthcare sector to advance screening for non-medical social needs in 2024 and beyond. This is great news as we work to address social determinants of health (SDoH), improve health outcomes, and reduce health disparities. But one key social need – transportation – isn’t getting …
The post As Social Need Screening Advances, Transportation Remains an Afterthought appeared first on Salud America.

Latinos Have Some of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the US

Latinos make up 18% of the American workforce and are the fastest growing working population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, there is a lack of Latino representation in corporate leadership, and few occupy high paying jobs in lucrative industries like engineering, technology, and science. Due to systemic inequities stemming …
The post Latinos Have Some of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the US appeared first on Salud America.

What Are the Risk and Protective Factors for Violent Child Death?

Gun violence and traffic crashes may seem like unpredictable events. But they are not random. They are systematic. Data reveal trends and patterns in gun violence and traffic crashes that can help us identify risk factors and protective factors. This is especially important for addressing violent child deaths. So what does the data show? Join …
The post What Are the Risk and Protective Factors for Violent Child Death? appeared first on Salud America.

5 Essential Frameworks for Preventing Violent Child Death

The U.S. has a violent child death problem. Developing strategies to prevent violent child deaths death from firearms and traffic crashes is a demanding task that requires consideration of numerous upstream, interrelated, and tangential issues. To help safety advocates develop strategies to prevent violent child death, we compiled five frameworks to help: Understand and explain …
The post 5 Essential Frameworks for Preventing Violent Child Death appeared first on Salud America.