On January 15, 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) launched an online resource tool to help hospitals assess workplace safety needs, implement safety and health management systems, and enhance their safe patient handling programs.  The online resource tool was created in an effort to assist hospitals in combating their high workplace injury and illness rates –  approximately 253,700 work-related injuries and illnesses were recorded in 2012. 

OSHA has identified a hospital as the most hazardous place to work in the United States, noting that the likelihood of an injury or illness resulting in days away from work is higher in a hospital than in the construction and manufacturing industries.  Data collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that nearly half (48 percent) of injuries resulting in days away from work in hospitals are caused by overexertion or bodily motions, such as lifting, bending, or reaching.  These motions often relate to patient handling.  OSHA notes that high injury rates increase a hospital’s overall costs, much in the form of workers’ compensation payouts and loss productivity. 
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