Given that healthcare workers have seen recent staggering increases to workplace injury and illness, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has urged healthcare facilities to implement safety programs to protect workers.
In 2020, injury and illness rates of U.S health workers rose 249 percent, and healthcare and social workers combined have the highest rates of injury and illness compared to any other industry, according to a Feb. 18 OSHA news release.
"We recognize our caregivers for the extraordinary sacrifices they continue to make working on the frontline throughout the pandemic to keep us healthy and safe — and we owe it to them to ensure their employers are doing all they can to protect them," OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor Douglas Parker said.
OSHA noted that it is working to create a permanent regulatory standard to protect workers from COVID-19. In the meantime, it urged healthcare facilities and hospitals to comply with OSHA standards on workplace health and safety, as well as create effective health and safety training programs and establish clear protocols to proactively prevent illness or injury.