Thursday, October 22, 2009
Franken introduces safe patient handling bill
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) last week introduced the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009 (S. 1788), which would force OSHA to issue a standard on safe patient handling and injury prevention to help reduce musculoskeletal injuries among health care workers.
The bill would require:
- The use of lift equipment to move patients
- Worker training on safe patient handling
In 2007, nursing aides, orderlies and attendants sustained 24,340 musculoskeletal disorders, the leading cause of which is patient lifting, transferring and repositioning injuries, according to the bill.
A companion bill (H.R. 2381) introduced in the House in May by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) is currently in committee.
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