Nursing

Feature Article

Worker Injuries and Safety Equipment in Ohio Nursing Homes

Stefan Stanev, MS, MBA; A. John Bailer, PhD; Jane K. Straker, PhD, MGS; Shahla Mehdizadeh, PhD; Robert M. Park, MS; Hanjin Li, MS

Abstract

A survey of Ohio nursing homes was conducted in 2007 to examine whether injury rates were related to facility characteristics and availability of safety equipment. The median rate of injury in the 898 facilities was 5.7 injuries per 100 workers per year. Although 95% of the facilities had written resident lifting policies, only 22% of these were zero-lift policies. Gait transfer belts (99%) and portable total-lift hoists (96%) were common, whereas ceiling-mounted total-lift hoists were rarely reported (7%). In a multivariable analysis, injury rate ratios increased with the proportion of residents using wheelchairs and were lower in smaller facilities. Facilities without a lifting policy had a higher estimated injury rate than facilities without such a policy; however, none of the safety equipment was associated with significant changes in injury rates. More information, such as frequency of use and access to versus availability of equipment, may be needed to better understand the impact of safety equipment on nursing home worker injury rates.

AUTHORS

Mr. Stanev is Client Consultant, The Nielsen Company, Cincinnati, Dr. Bailer is Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Statistics, Dr. Straker and Dr. Mehdizadeh are Senior Research Scholars, Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, Mr. Park is Research Health Scientist/Epidemiologist, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Education and Information Division Risk Evaluation Branch, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Ms. Li is a stay-at-home mother, Carmel, Indiana.

The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. Data were collected under a contract with the Ohio Department of Aging. Drs. J. Collins (NIOSH), R. Applebaum (Miami University), and L. Stayner (University of Illinois-Chicago) all provided comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Anonymous reviewer and Editor comments on early versions of this manuscript resulted in a much improved presentation. The authors are very appreciative of this guidance.

Address correspondence to A. John Bailer, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Statistics, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056; e-mail: baileraj@muohio.edu

doi: 10.3928/00989134-20120508-01

• Tweet
• Share
• Link
• Email
• Print