The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that healthcare workers in hospital settings sustain 384,325 percutaneous injuries involving contaminated sharps / needles annually. When non-hospital healthcare workers are included, the best estimate of the number of neddlestick injuries involving contaminated sharps is 590,164 per year.

In 2002,12.6% of nurses and personal care employees required some length of leave from work due to occupational injury. 9.7% of hospital workers sustained on the job injuries requiring time off, job transfer, or duty restriction. Medical workers and healthcare providers are among the highest risk group for workplace injury, and are one of the largest groups of claimants for workers' compensation benefits.

VIEW CHART: Incidence Rates of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries / Medical Industry

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) consistently reports higher than average (5.7 injured workers per 100) workplace injury rates for healthcare workers. The rate of injury incidents in some medical sectors are twice the national average, including hospitals and nursing care facilities.

Work-related accidents in 1992 caused 8,500 deaths and injured 3.3 million people. During that year, work-related accidents cost 115.9 billion dollars in medical bills and insurance payments.

In 2000, more than 5.7 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private sector workplaces.

Nursing aides/orderlies are the most frequent healthcare occupation filing a workers compensation claims (33.2%).

On an average day, 153 workers lose their lives as a result of workplace injuries and illnesses, and another 15,600 are injured. That's one workplace death or injury every five seconds.

Workers have legal rights to compensation for work related injuries. Healthcare workers and medical employees suffer from workplace injuries at a rate sometimes twice the national average. To protect your benefits contact an experienced workers compensation attorney.