BLS data also indicates that the incidence rate for cases involving days away from work in the nursing and residential care sector was 2.3 times higher than that of all private industry as a whole, despite the availability of feasible controls to address hazards. An overwhelming proportion of the injuries within this sector were attributed to overexertion as well as to slips, trips and falls. Together, these two categories accounted for 62.5 percent of cases involving days away from work within this industry in 2010.
"These are people who have dedicated their lives to caring for our loved ones when they are not well. It is not acceptable that they continue to get hurt at such high rates," said OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels. "Our new emphasis program for inspecting these facilities will strengthen protections for society’s caretakers."
Health care workers face numerous serious safety and health hazards, and the NEP will provide guidance to OSHA compliance staff on the policies and procedures for targeting and conducting inspections specifically focused on the hazards associated with nursing and residential care. These hazards include exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material; exposure to other communicable diseases such as tuberculosis; ergonomic stressors related to lifting patients; workplace violence; and slips, trips and falls. Workers also may be exposed to hazardous chemicals and drugs.
OSHA develops national emphasis programs to focus outreach efforts and inspections on specific hazards in an industry for a 3-year period. For this NEP, OSHA will target nursing homes and residential care facilities with a days-away-from-work rate of 10 or higher per 100 full-time workers in an effort to reduce occupational illnesses and injuries.
The NEP directive can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_03-00-016.pdf.