When people discuss the most dangerous jobs, they often discuss the careers that have the highest degree of fatalities in the workplace, like working in the logging industry. However, death isn’t the only danger that people face on the job.
Occupational illness and accidental injury are also risk factors that can impact someone’s life, happiness and earning potential. When it comes to the risk for injuries on the job, one of the jobs with the most statistical risk will probably surprise you. Medical professionals in hospitals actually have incredibly high rates of injury on the job when compared with other professions.
How many hospital workers get hurt on the job every year?
According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, each year, 157.5 hospital workers out of each 10,000 full-time workers suffer an injury on the job. While that may not seem particularly high, it is. Construction workers suffered injuries at a rate of 147.4 per 10,000, and the average for all private industries is 105.2 per 10,000 full-time workers.
Major risk factors for hospital workers include bodily injury due to overexertion, violence, contact with dangerous objects and falls. In other words, people in the medical field put their own health and safety at risk every day trying to help heal others.
As the medical field continues to grow, it is likely that those injuries will also continue to occur. Workers who suffer these kinds of injuries on the job may have to file for workers’ compensation benefits or may even require long-term disability benefits if their injuries are severe enough to end their careers.