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OSHA Launches New Website on Hospital Worker Safety

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January 20, 2014

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No one wants to hear their work environment isn’t safe, but if you’re a hospital-based RT, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) says you’re employed in the least safe setting out there.

According to OSHA, hospitals recorded 250,000 work-related injuries and illnesses in 2012, almost 60,000 of which caused employees to miss work. Nationwide, compensation losses for hospital workers resulted in a total annual expense of $2 billion.

Now OSHA has launched a new program designed to do something about it.

The Worker Safety in Hospitals website has extensive materials to help hospitals prevent worker injuries, assess workplace safety needs, enhance safe patient handling programs, and implement safety and health management systems. The materials include fact books, self-assessments, and best practice guides.

“At the heart of these materials are the lessons from high-performing hospitals that have implemented best practices to reduce workplace injuries while also improving patient safety,” Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, was quoted as saying.