A career in nursing can be both challenging and rewarding. Due to the very nature of a nurse’s job responsibilities, nursing involves a certain amount of risk. In fact, according to nursing statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), approximately 3 million registered nurses (RNs) are exposed to workplace hazards.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in 2017, there were 18,090 days-away-from-work cases due to nonfatal injuries or illnesses. These types of injuries and the resulting missed work days have a profound impact not only on their lives but on facility finances (workers’ compensation) and scheduling operations.
In an era of nursing shortages, prioritizing workplace safety for your nursing staff is essential.
Fortunately, many nursing workplace hazards can be reduced or prevented by educating healthcare professionals and employers about workplace prevention tactics. The promotion and education of safety awareness in a medical setting can lead to a safer workplace for nurses across the country.
Key risk factors contributing to nursing injuries in healthcare
Risk factors for injuries in nurses during work include physical care tasks, environmental safety hazards, and fatigue.
Physical care tasks
In 2017, nursing assistants had the second-highest rate of MSDs among healthcare workers.
Patient lifting, repositioning, or transfers are some of the usual tasks that might cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in nursing clinicians, usually harming areas such as the back, neck, and shoulders.
Environmental safety hazards
The physical environment where nurses work presents daily injury risks that require constant vigilance. Slips, trips, and falls are especially common in fast-paced clinical settings where spills, recently cleaned floors, and cluttered hallways are unavoidable realities.
These injuries often occur during urgent patient care situations, when nurses are moving quickly between rooms or responding to alarms.
Poor lighting, uneven flooring transitions, and crowded workspaces further increase fall risk—making environmental controls and facility design critical components of nurse safety.
Fatigue and physical exhaustion
This is probably the most silent, but dangerous factor. When nurses are exhausted, the risk of nursing injury, burnout, errors, and accidents goes up. Research shows that being awake for 17-19 hours affects the brain performance as much as the blood alcohol level of 0,05% causing slow reaction, confusion, and stress.
Understaffed facilities are related to a significant factor of burnout, fatigue, and physical exhaustion as well. When nurses work longer and faster than normal, they may ignore safety protocols just to save time, putting their lives at risk.
What is the most common injury to healthcare workers?
Overexertion and nonfatal accidents make up almost 50% of all nursing injuries.
The most common physical actions that result in nursing overexertion injuries include the following:
- Repetitive strain injuries (e.g., injuries from lifting patients)
- Excessive physical effort (e.g., lifting, bending, pushing)
- Repetitive motions (e.g., twisting, stretching)
And while overexertion injuries make up the majority of nursing injuries, other nursing-related workplace accidents can be even more hazardous to a nurse’s well-being.
The most common injuries in nursing
On top of nurses being vulnerable to workplace injuries such as overexertion, strains, and sprains, nurses could be at risk for the following injuries:
Nursing fall injuries
Nurses spend a lot of time on their feet.
Slips, trips, and falls account for about 20% of all nursing injuries, according to the BLS. And while most falls don’t result in fatal incidents, many of these falls can be prevented.
So why are nursing fall injuries the second most common workplace hazard for nurses?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, environmental factors such as wet floors from any type of liquid contamination may result in nursing injuries. Since medical facilities are cleaned routinely, wet floors are extremely common and make all nurses vulnerable to fall injuries.
Back injuries
Back injuries in nurses and healthcare workers are common. Various studies of nurses and back injuries and lower back pain find occurrence rates ranging from 35-50%.
Many nurse back injuries occur from lifting and repositioning patients. According to OSHA, strategies for preventing back injuries include:
- First assess whether the task can be safely completed without manual lifting.
- Next, a nurse should proceed with caution by bending at the knees to lift.
- Lastly, nurses should consider storing necessary heavy materials at the waist level in order to avoid lifting in the first place.
Exposure to harmful and contaminated substances
Nurses face ongoing exposure risks unique to healthcare environments, including contact with infectious agents, airborne pathogens, and hazardous medications.
Depending on the unit, this may include bloodborne pathogens, respiratory illnesses, or exposure to chemotherapy drugs and disinfectants. While these exposures occur less frequently than musculoskeletal injuries or falls, the consequences can be severe.
Proper handling procedures, engineering controls, and consistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential to minimizing long-term health risks for nursing staff.
Sharps and needlesticks
Needlestick and sharps injuries remain one of the most serious occupational hazards in nursing due to the risk of transmitting bloodborne infections such as HIV and hepatitis. These injuries typically occur during medication administration, specimen handling, or improper disposal of used sharps.
Effective prevention requires more than individual vigilance.
Facilities should implement comprehensive needlestick prevention programs that prioritize safer device design, point-of-use disposal, and ongoing staff training to reduce preventable exposure events.
Violence from patients
On top of nurses facing workplace hazards such as contact with contaminated objects and exposure to harmful substances, a nurse could be injured by a patient. While violence against nurses was once considered rare, violent acts aimed at nurses in healthcare settings are on the rise.
Violent altercations by patients can include physical and verbal assault and can result in moderate to serious nursing injuries. Moreover, violence against nurses can lead to negative psychological effects such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and burnout.
Employers should consider implementing effective educational training on violence awareness and prevention for their nursing employees.
Preventing nursing injuries: Top strategies
Healthcare facilities can reduce nurse injury risk in the workplace.
Create a culture of safety
A culture of safety is essential because it means more than just a reminder; it requires action.
Every healthcare worker should be encouraged to report problems and mistakes, such as a needle on the floor or incorrect segregation of hospital waste, without fear of punishment or being ignored.
Safety protocols must be a priority, and skipping them to save time is never an option.
Provide safe patient handling and mobility programs
Manual lifting is often viewed as an outdated and potentially dangerous practice. Modern policies rely on technology as the safest way to transfer, move, or lift patients.
Consider implementing the following safe patient handling strategies:
- “No-Lift” policies: Establish a formal policy that prohibits staff members from manually lifting patients and ensure that mechanical tools are present and available for use in such situations
- Equipment: Prioritize ceiling-mounted lifts, air-assisted lateral transfer mattresses, and motorized beds for smart investments patient-nurse safety.
- Training: Provide experts in safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) equipment who can coach others, ensuring that the gear doesn't just "sit in the closet."
Introduce violence prevention and de-escalation training
Workplace violence is a reality, and to prevent healthcare worker injuries, training sessions about self-defense, proactive behavioral management, and de-escalation techniques are essential.
Facilities should also ensure that nursing stations have 2 exits, install high-visibility panic buttons, and maintain a guard presence in the unit.
Reinforce sharps safety and PPE protocols
The strategy here should focus on engineering controls, making the equipment safer in itself, in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals and infections.
- Safe devices: Nurses are recommended to use retractable needles, needleless IV systems, and self-sheathing scalpels exclusively.
- Disposal bins: Clinicians should not have to walk across a room with a used needle to dispose of it. Sharp containers should be placed exactly where the procedure happens to prevent accidental sticks while walking.
- PPE accessibility: Gloves, gowns, and masks must be stored in the same designated location in every room so nurses do not have to hunt for protection, risking exposure.
The bottom line
Nursing injuries occur frequently, and healthcare facilities should be aware of workplace risks and work to mitigate them.
The good news is that the vast majority of workplace injuries can be avoided with the right educational training and workplace injury prevention programs.
When nurses miss work due to injury or exhaustion, defaulting to overtime can put remaining staff at greater risk. Filling open shifts with vetted per diem nurses can help facilities maintain safe staffing levels without compounding burnout.
Do you find yourself dealing with frequent call outs or elevated patient census? Explore how Nursa supports safer, more flexible nurse staffing.
Sources:
- BLS: Occupational injuries and illnesses among registered nurses
- Healthcare - Safe Patient Handling | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- CDC: Risks from Not Getting Enough Sleep: Impaired Function
- Nurses face high rates of workplace injuries | Parker & Frey PLLC
- The 6 Most Common Nursing Injuries in the U.S. | Unitek College
- Wet Floors: An Occupational Hazard According to the US Department of Labor, STFs (slips, trips and falls) make up the majority
- Back Safety - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
- OSHA: Back Injury Prevention
- Needlestick - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
- Bloodborne Infectious Disease Risk Factors | Healthcare Workers | CDC
- Does the Type of Exposure to Workplace Violence Matter to Nurses’ Mental Health? - PMC
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