Edition No. 7

Ergonomics Spotlight: Healthcare Facilities

You may think of long-term healthcare facilities as places of healing. But statistics show that for employees, healthcare facilities can actually be a detriment to good health. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employees in nursing and personal care facilities suffer over 200,000 work-related injuries and illnesses each year. More than half result in time away from work. Studies also show that with a well-thought-out ergonomics program in place, these injuries can be drastically reduced. There are many valuable ergo lessons to be learned by focusing on the healthcare industry including how the proper programs and equipment can prevent injury and how those programs dramatically affect the retention of key employees.

Most long-term care facilities inadvertently expose employees to a multitude of potential hazards. Exposure to injury from ergonomic stress points during the handling, transferring, and repositioning of patients offers the greatest risk potential.

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Job-site Injuries

Workplace injuries resulting from patient handling tasks pose increased ergonomic risk if they:

Are repetitive (e.g., repeatedly cranking manual adjustments for beds);
Are done in awkward postures (e.g., reaching across beds to lift patients);
Are done using a great deal of force (e.g., pushing chairs or gurneys across elevation changes or up ramps);
Involve lifting heavy objects (e.g., manually lifting immobile patients alone);
Result in overexertion (e.g., trying to stop a patient from falling or picking a patient up from floor or bed);
Include multiple lifts per shift;
Involve lifting alone (no other available staff to help);
Involve lifting uncooperative, confused patients or patients that cannot support their own weight;
Include moving the patient a distance; or
Are performed by employees not trained in body mechanics and proper lifting techniques.

Cost of Injuries

Not only can these incidents be hazardous, but they can be costly, too. Those same Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that Workers' Compensation costs for the healthcare industry reach nearly one billion dollars a year. Other studies show that along with growing costs, several other factors can negatively affect bottom line performance, including rising turnover, low employee morale, and a reluctance to report problems for fear of job loss.

The Three-step Solution

However, good sound ergonomic solutions to these hazards can reduce the problems dramatically. Here’s a condensed, three-step method that works. First, facilities should establish a safety and health program that addresses patient handling hazards and establishes patient handling criteria and processes. Second, good work practice includes continually identifying the most hazardous tasks and implementing engineering and work practice controls and training to help reduce or prevent injuries in those tasks. Remember, OSHA recommends minimizing the manual lifting of patients in all cases and eliminating lifting whenever possible. And third, provide employees with proper assist devices and equipment to reduce excessive lifting hazards. Proper equipment selection depends on the specific needs of the facility, patients, staff, and management.

Implementation Results

The results are dramatic. One year after instituting a “no lift” policy, a North Carolina facility saw their claims drop from 60 cases with developed costs of $350,000 to seven cases costing $8,200. Another study conducted over a three-year period in a long-term care facility found that back injuries were reduced 74% with a prevention program using mechanical lifting devices.

Six months following installation of fixed ceiling lifts, Ledgewood Manor, a skilled/intermediate care facility in Windham, Maine, reduced its Workers’ Compensation costs by 60%. At the 20-month anniversary, there had been zero (0) back injuries related to patient transfers reported and Workers’ Compensation costs had decreased by 97%!

One other possible benefit to ergonomic programs in the healthcare field centers on employee retention. With the shortage of nurses today, facilities cannot afford to lose staff to injuries. With a no lift policy that includes training, not only are injuries prevented in key personnel, but recruiting new staff and retaining current staff is much easier. Ledgewood Manor reported, “Pool staff from temporary agencies line up to work here” because the amount of physical work they have to perform is significantly less than at other healthcare facilities.

EORM Ergonomic Practice

At EORM, we specialize in Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) management programs. And many of the lessons we’ve learned in the healthcare arena can be transferred to other industries as well. If you would like more information on how we can help assess a facility, help set up an internal ergonomics committee, train the staff, and manage and monitor the programs, please contact our ergonomics team by calling toll-free 800-648-1506.

For further information on OSHA guidelines, visit their website at: http://www.osha.gov/ergonomics/guidelines/nursinghome/index.html