Workplace danger comes from many different sources. Those who drive big trucks could get hurt in a collision or while loading a trailer. Professionals working in construction could fall from a significant elevation or suffer an injury during a trenching cave-in incident.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA( tracks the rate of worker injuries in different industries, along with worker fatalities. This information helps them provide industry-specific safety guidelines and information about lost-time injuries and deaths in different fields of work.
When people discuss the most dangerous professions, the focus is often on deadly workplace accidents. Certainly, there are hundreds of people who do lose their lives because of something that happens at work. However, many more people suffer injuries that require medical care and time off of work compared with the number of people who die on the job.
People can and do get hurt in any job environment, including offices and other seemingly safe job spaces, but their risk is higher in specific professions. The workplace with the highest risk for an injury on the job surprises many people.
Hospital work is incredibly dangerous
Out of all workplaces, modern hospitals are the most dangerous when it comes to the risk for an injury serious enough to require time off of work. According to OSHA, 221,400 hospital workers suffered injuries or got diagnosed with work-related illnesses in 2019. That comes out to 5.5 injuries per 100 full-time employees, which OSHA states is nearly twice the injury rate for all private industries.
Essentially, hospital workers are twice as likely to get hurt as many other employees. Patient care risks, like heavy lifting, are a concern. So is violence and exposure to dangerous substances and machinery.
Those who care for others may need care themselves
People who go into medicine often put their own needs below the needs of the public or their patients. Eventually, they may suffer such significant injuries that they require a leave of absence from work and medical support. Hospital workers injured on the job may require workers’ compensation benefits until they can get back to work.
Learning more about your rights and risks in the workplace can make it easier to navigate a workers’ compensation claim.