How effective is mechanical lifting equipment in preventing injuries to caregivers?
Safe resident lifting programs can be highly effective in reducing a health care worker’s exposure to heavy loads and awkward working postures that contribute to back and other musculoskeletal injuries. Research has shown that safe resident lifting programs reduce resident-handling workers’ compensation injury rates by 61%, lost workday injury rates by 66%, restricted workdays by 38%, and the number of workers suffering from repeat injuries (Collins et al., 2004). Similar findings have been reported by other investigators (Tiesman et al., 2003; Nelson et al., 2003; Garg, 1999). Furthermore, this research has shown an increase in caregiver job satisfaction, and a decrease in “unsafe” patient handling practices performed. Nurses ranked lifting equipment as the most important element in a safe lifting program (Nelson et al., 2003). The increase in bariatric residents has also led lifting equipment manufacturers to develop equipment with higher lifting capacities to accommodate the special
