Workplace injuries in healthcare Injury prevention and response
Most injuries in the healthcare industry stem from just four key causes: n slips and trips n patient handling n combative behaviors n driving In this booklet you ll find: n Best practices to help you prevent most workplace injuries. n Tips for how to manage claims when injuries occur. n References to related online resources available at sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare. Your key to specific resources When you see these icons, you ll know the following types of resources are available to you at sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare: Training tools to help you easily educate your staff on key safety issues. Pre-written policies and letters that you can easily edit and use. Simple worksheets to help you quickly make sure you ve covered your bases to prevent or respond to work injuries, and key forms you ll need to keep handy. Bookmark-worthy spots on SFM s website. sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare 3
Preventing injuries: Safe patient handling and combative behaviors Safe resident handling and combative behaviors Healthcare workers have the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders of any industry, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many come from manually lifting and moving patients. Use the included sample program as a guide. To protect your employees: n Install a reasonable low lift program. n Strategically place lifting units in the home. n Train employees on using lift equipment, gait belts and proper body mechanics. n Task supervisors with observing compliance with the low lift program. Go to sfmic.com/ alliedhealthcare to download an editable version of the sample Safe Resident Handling Policy. Diffusing a combative situation Many healthcare employees are injured when a resident lashes out unexpectedly. Knowing how to identify when an individual is about to have an outburst and de-escalate the situation can prevent a crisis and an employee injury. Use SFM s 5-Minute Solutions safety talk on Alternative Interventions and De-escalation Tactics as a guide to train your staff on preventing violent outbursts. 4 sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare
Preventing slip-and-fall injuries Slip-and-fall accidents are a leading cause of severe injury in the healthcare industry. You can significantly reduce your risk of slip-andfall accidents by doing the following: Require your employees to wear slip-resistant shoes Slip-resistant shoes can actually make it difficult to slip on water, oil or soap. Strongly encourage or require your employees to wear them. Share these tips with your staff: n Look for the statement slip resistant stamped onto the sole of the shoe. n Find them online at shoesforcrews.com or at Rogan s, Walmart, Payless and many other retail stores. Preventing injuries: Slip-and-falls Keep your parking lot clear of snow and ice Many slip-and-and fall injuries occur when employees are entering or leaving work. Make sure your parking lot and walkways are clear of ice and snow at all times. Have a trusted employee complete the Ice and Snow Management Log to help manage this significant risk. Keep floors dry and free of clutter Wet, greasy, cluttered or poorly maintained floors and walkways are another common cause of slip-and-fall injuries. Use the Slips, Trips and Falls Workplace Audit monthly to identify hazards and correct them before they cause an injury. sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare 5
Preventing injuries: Safe driving Safe driving Motor-vehicle accidents cause some of the most severe workplace injuries. Follow these best practices to lessen the likelihood that an employee will be involved in one while on the job: Check motor vehicle records Use a third-party vendor to check motor vehicle records at hire and annually for employees who may drive for work or between buildings. Work with your agent to find resources and discuss suitable disqualification standards. Prohibit cell phone use while driving Make sure your company policy expressly prohibits the following while driving: n Texting n Emailing n Web surfing Go to sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare for a sample Cell Phone Policy you can use as a guide for drafting your own. Train on defensive driving Use one of the safe driving videos available in SFM s Video Lending Library to train your staff on an annual basis. Videos are free to borrow for SFM policyholders. Winter s approach is a good time to train on safe driving. For suggested videos and a link to SFM s Video Lending Library visit sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare. 6 sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare
Q&A: How to file a workers comp claim Q: Which types of incidents do I need to report? A: Report any work-related injuries your employees bring to your attention, even if you question them. This includes motor vehicle accidents while driving for work and incidents outside your building, such as falls while walking in the parking lot. Q: When do I need to file a workers compensation claim? A: File on or before the next business day after you learn an employee was injured at work. Fatal or catastrophic injuries must be reported to SFM within 24 hours. Q: How do I file a claim? A: Have the employee and his or her supervisor call the SFM Work Injury Hotline together at 855-675-3501 as soon as the injury is reported to talk with a specially trained nurse. The nurse will get the details of the injury, recommend the best treatment option, and then forward the report to SFM, so you don t need to fill out any paperwork. If the employee has already sought medical treatment, or is unavailable to participate in the call, file the injury report online at sfmic.com. You ll need to know the employee s full name, SFM Work Injury Hotline 855-675-3501 date of birth, address, Social Security number and wage information as well as details about how the injury happened. Managing claims: Reporting an injury Q: What next? A: After an employee is injured, determine what caused the accident, and what your organization can do to prevent similar injuries in the future. Typically a supervisor, human resources representative or administrator will conduct the analysis. SFM s Accident Analysis Worksheet will help you methodically look at what happened so you can avoid a similar accident in the future. sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare 7
Managing claims: Working with medical providers Working with medical providers In Wisconsin, the employee can choose to decide where to go for medical treatment, but you should be ready to recommend a clinic skilled in treating occupational injuries. Before an injury occurs call your SFM claims representative if you need help finding a high-quality medical provider in your area. If you have a preferred clinic, let your SFM claim representative know. Tell the physician you have transitional work available Your employee s physician needs to know you have transitional work available if your injured employee cannot go right back to his or her regular job. That way the doctor knows that it s OK to release an employee to work with restrictions. Download a sample Letter to the Treating Physician that you can easily customize at sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare. Make sure to send a Work Ability and Return-to-Work form with your employee to each doctor visit and ask that the employee give you a copy of the form after each appointment. Getting prescription medication The employee will receive a card in the mail that they can take to any Express Scripts pharmacy so they don t have to pay up front for work injury-related prescriptions. To find participating pharmacies, call Express Scripts toll-free at (877) 568-5522. A temporary card is available online at sfmic.com > Employers > Resources > Resource Catalog > Claims management > Temporary Prescription Information Sheet and Cards. Medical equipment, physical therapy or diagnostic tests If your injured employee needs a diagnostic test, physical therapy or medical equipment (such as crutches) call your SFM claims representative at (800) 937-1181 before ordering equipment or testing. Choosing SFM s high-quality providers helps keep your future workers compensation costs down. 8 sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare
Q&A: Return to work basics Q: Why bring an injured employee back to work as soon as they re medically able? A: Studies show that the longer an employee is off work, the less likely they will return. Longer absences trigger costly wage-loss benefits, which in turn increase your workers compensation premium. It s in your interest to bring your employees back to work as soon as they get written releases from their doctors, even if they have work restrictions. Q: What if they can t perform their regular job due to doctors restrictions? A: If the injured worker s regular job can t be modified to fit within the doctor s restrictions, consider arranging for the employee to work temporarily in a different area of the company or create a temporary light-duty job. Q: What are light-duty jobs? A: Light-duty jobs can include: Managing claims: Return-to-work basics n Cleaning dentures n Folding laundry n Sorting silverware n Providing companionship n Helping with resident activities Go to sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare for a link to the healthcare section of our Transitional Work Warehouse, where we list more than 40 potential light-duty jobs in healthcare operations. Use these ideas and your own to create a list of potential light-duty jobs now so you re ready if an injury occurs. sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare 9
How to contact us General workers compensation questions Toll-free (800) 937-1181 Report a work injury SFM Work Injury Hotline, 855-675-3501 Online sfmic.com > Report an Injury Toll-free fax (800) 944-1169 Questions about a claim, or the name of your SFM claims representative Online sfmic.com > Policyholder login (800) 937-1181 Questions about CompOnline or secure email (800) 937-1181 ext 4334 Connect online Twitter @workcompxperts Blog SimplyWorkComp.com LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/sfmmutualinsurance-company YouTube youtube.com/sfmcompanies sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare 10 sfmic.com/alliedhealthcare
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