Worker injuries and safety equipment in Ohio nursing homes

A survey of Ohio nursing homes was conducted in 2007 to examine whether injury rates were related to facility characteristics and availability of safety equipment. The median rate of injury in the 898 facilities was 5.7 injuries per 100 workers per year. Although 95% of the facilities had written resident lift-ing policies, only 22% of these were zero-lift policies. Gait transfer belts(99%) and portable total-lift hoists(96%) were common, whereas ceiling-mounted total-lift hoists were rarely reported (7%). In a multivariable analysis, injury rate ratios increased with the proportion of residents using wheel-chairs and were lower in smaller facilities. Facilities without a lifting policy had a higher estimated injury rate than facilities without such a policy; however, none of the safety equipment was associated with significant changes in injury rates. More information, such as frequency of use and access to ver-sus availability of equipment, may be needed to better understand the im-pact of safety equipment on nursing home worker injury rates.