Injuries of Three Health Care Districts Employees in Finland

Abstract

Abstract: Occupational injuries in hospitals have two-fold effects, decreasing both safety employees and the level of patient care. The aim of this study is to examine occupational injuries in Finnish hospitals. Three health care districts reported injuries and violent acts and the number of their employees over a period of three years: 2006-2008. Every eighth hospital worker was involved in an occupational injury each year, which is more than among the general working population. In addition, every twentieth hospital employee had encountered violence or a threat of violence in their work, which corresponds to the risk of violence among working men. There were huge differences in injury and violence rates between health care districts, which were due to different reporting procedures used in districts. Underreporting is another possible explanatory factor especially for minor injuries and verbal aggression.

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S. Salminen and A. Parantainen, "Injuries of Three Health Care Districts Employees in Finland," Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, Vol. 2 No. 3, 2012, pp. 108-112. doi: 10.4236/ojsst.2012.23014.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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