The risks of work-related assaults for health care and community workers are probably due to several factors, including the prevalence of handguns, the decrease in medical and mental health care for the mentally ill, and the increasing use of hospitals by police and the criminal justice system for acutely disturbed violent cases of drug overdose or severe mental illness. This situation is compounded by the fact that hospitals, clinic and pharmacies frequently have drugs or money which can tempt robberies. An important risk factor at hospitals and psychiatric facilities is that patients and their family or friends may carry weapons. Our guidelines include recommendations on analyzing the health care workplace to recognize, identify and correct security hazards, with the use of a checklist. Once we have completed the final guidelines, we intend to use them as the basis for education and outreach efforts.
Most workplace violence is in fact preventable.
And we hope these guidelines will give employers the tools necessary to keep their workers safe. Another emerging hazard are work-related musculoskeletal disorders, or occupational overuse disorders. These are not simply minor aches and pains but debilitating injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome that can affect many life activities of a worker, including driving a car, typing, picking up a child or even writing. BLS estimates that there are more than 700,000 lost workday injuries and illnesses related to musculoskeletal disorders each year. What's more, the problem is getting worse.