High number of lost-time injuries among nurses’ highlights need to make health care facilities safe

Nurses are being hurt on the job every day, which is costly for the health care system and costly for nurses themselves, said Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas as she marked the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job today.

This situation is particularly devastating when there is violence involved, Silas said, noting that according to 2014 statistics from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada the health and social services sector had the highest number of lost-time injuries in Canada – 41,141 accepted claims.

This surpassed mining, quarrying & oil wells, construction and manufacturing. Silas said.

“As a society, we need to recognize that health care facilities can be dangerous and put in place long-term solutions so that nurses can have a better work-life balance, and can provide optimal quality patient care,” she said.

In addition to violence, musculoskeletal injuries, exposures and falls are significant causes of lost-time injuries among health care workers, including nurses.

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