Lifting, transferring and manually repositioning patients can cause serious injuries to nurses. Undertaking these activities without protective measures makes nursing one of the most dangerous of all professions.

Direct-care nurses suffer injury rates at higher levels than laborers, movers and truck drivers and rank 10th among all occupations for getting musculoskeletal disorders. In 2004 alone, nurses in the private sector had 8,800 musculoskeletal disorders, the majority of which (more than 7,000) were back injuries. Moreover, 52 percent of nurses complain of chronic back pain—and for 38 percent of nurses, the pain is so severe they have to leave work. Many nurses plagued by back injuries never return to work, and without a safe patient handling standard, this cycle will continue, leaving more and more nurses suffering from preventable injuries and our hospitals even more short-staffed.

But with the proper equipment and training, these injuries do not have to happen. That is why the unions of RNs Working Together support the Nurse and Patient Safety & Protection Act of 2007 (H.R. 378), sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). This legislation would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop and implement a standard that would eliminate manual lifting of patients by direct-care registered nurses through the use of mechanical devices, except during a declared state of emergency.

Key provisions of this legislation would:

• Establish a National Safe Patient Handling Standard—This standard would prevent musculoskeletal disorders for direct-care registered nurses and other   health care providers and require:
  • All hospitals to comply;
  • Hospitals to purchase and use safe patient lift mechanical devices;
  • Input from registered nurses and organizations representing RNs in implementing the standard;
  • A program to identify problems and solutions regarding safe patient handling;
  • A system to report injuries;
  • Training for staff on safe patient handling policies, equipment and devices at least on an annual basis; and
  • Evaluation of safe patient handling efforts.

• Provide Protection for Nurses and Other   Individuals—The legislation provides a refusal of assignment provision and strong whistle-blower protections. If a hospital violates these protections, a direct-care nurse and other health care providers may bring a cause of action in U.S. District Court or file a complaint with the secretary of labor.
• Provide Health Care Facilities with Financial Assistance—The law would establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to cover some or all of the costs of purchasing safe patient handling equipment for health care facilities, such as hospitals, nursing facilities and outpatient facilities, that can prove a financial need.

This legislation recognizes that nurses have a right to be free from painful injuries that can seriously impair a nurse's life. In addition, this legislation also helps address the nursing shortage by keeping nurses injury free and by the bedside.