Working in a hospital in the state of Georgia and throughout the United States is one of the most dangerous places you can work. If you work in a hospital, you are almost constantly exposed to toxic chemicals, violent patients, and high stress. If you have been injured at your job you need an experienced workers’ comp lawyer on your side.
What Are the Occupational Hazards for Healthcare Workers in Georgia?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that nursing assistants have the highest rate of traumatic injuries – more than twice the rate for other workers in the healthcare field over a 2-year period.
Medical professionals face dangers such as needle pricks, exposure to toxic chemicals such as chemotherapy medications, smoke from laser surgical equipment, cleaning supplies, and other chemicals that can be harmful and cause injury.
What Are the Most Common Nursing Accidents and Injuries in Hospitals in Georgia?
Some of the most common nursing accidents and injuries in Georgia hospitals include, but aren’t limited to:
1. Back Injury
Hospital staff are often responsible for lifting, repositioning, and transferring patients who may have limited mobility.
2. Violence
Nurses and doctors can be exposed to violent patients suffering from mental health issues, or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. It’s common for patients such as these to become violent.
3. Fractures
4. Burns
5. Repetitive Stress Injuries
6. Cuts
7. Punctures
8. Sprains and Strains
What Kind of Compensation is Available for Georgia Nurses Who Are Injured on the Job?
If you or a loved one worked in the Georgia healthcare field and has suffered an injury or illness while at work, you need to file for workers’ compensation benefits as soon as possible.
Georgia law requires that doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities must carry workers’ compensation insurance for all of their employees. All you have to do is prove that your illness or injury happened while you were on the job and was serious enough that you required medical treatment and days off work.
You should receive up to two-thirds of your average weekly salary, and medical treatment related to your work-related injury subject to certain maximums.
You could also receive medical benefits under Georgia law as long as your illness or injury occurred during your scope of work, you are not an independent contractor, and you weren’t under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of your work-related injury or illness.
Your medical treatment for your Georgia work-related injury or illness will be paid for under workers’ compensation benefits. There are exceptions and conditions to this rule, but normally you will be entitled to treatment for our work-related injury.
Additionally, you could be entitled to permanent partial disability benefits and/or permanent impairment benefits. This is a benefit that is normally calculated toward the end of your Georgia workers’ compensation claim, and once you’ve been treated by a physician and they believe they can’t offer you any further treatment. The doctor will determine that you have reached the point of maximum medical treatment and release you from care or put you on a see per needed basis.
Once you have reached that point in your work-related hospital accident, your physician, based upon your condition may determine your impairment rating using AMA Guidelines and determine which of your body parts has been injured, and permanently disabled.
Based upon your impairment rating, under the Georgia workers’ compensation, your permanent partial disability benefit can be calculated. To do this, you can take your compensation rate, multiply it times the body part, and multiply that times the percentage of impairment. This number will give you the exact permanent partial disability benefits you are entitled to under Georgia law.
Additionally, if you are working as a nurse or other type of healthcare worker in Georgia, and you are diagnosed with a work-related illness or injury that is so severe that you are unable to continue working, you may be able to collect Social Security disability benefits as well.
If you or a loved one is injured while working at a hospital or other medical facility, the workers’ compensation lawyers at The Gearhart Law Group is here to help you. We will ensure that you are treated fairly during every step of the process and fight for your Georgia workers’ compensation rights.
