This project was initiated by the employee health department of Cape Cod Hospital. Beth, now a nurse in that department, has been given the responsibility for trialing and selecting lifting devices. Lifting and moving devices are designed to reduce or eliminate the actual physical lifting of patients and in the process, eliminate the stress and strain on the muscles and joints of nurses and other health care workers. Workers in the health care industry now suffer more back injuries than workers in construction. Studies show that the lifting task that is most damaging to workers is moving patients from bed to chair, and the return trip, chair to bed is associated with the most injuries.
Lifting devices are an example of hazard control technology.
Hazard control differs from injury prevention as it places the responsibility of eliminating hazards and providing safe working conditions on the employer. The concept of injury prevention usually relates to working behavior of employees in the face of hazardous conditions. It is essential to move our thinking forward to eliminating hazards through the use of hazard control technology in the health care industry. It is important to trial new devices, as this process provides an opportunity to educate workers on the types of devices being considered and for their strengths and limitations to be identified in a controlled process. Certain devices are more appropriate for certain patients.