November 2002

Nurses back injuries slashed

A $7.7 million nurse back injury prevention program has resulted in a 74 per cent reduction in injuries and halved WorkCover claims by nurses.

Launching the Victorian Nurses Back Injury Prevention Project Evaluation Report, Health Minister John Thwaites said the program would recover its costs within a year and save taxpayers and the health industry millions of dollars.

‘Victoria will save nearly $13 million a year on nurse back injury payouts alone and the health industry expects premiums to fall significantly in line with this halving of claims.

‘More importantly, however, is the success of the program in reducing back injuries among nurses and ensuring they have a safer workplace.

‘The evaluation report of the program found the number of days lost due to back injuries fell from 2,856 days to 754 days per year—a 74 per cent reduction.

‘The report also found there has been a 48 per cent drop in WorkCover claims for nurse back injuries and a 54 per cent drop in the cost of these claims.

‘Before the program began, nurse back injuries accounted for more than half the Workcover claims by nurses and cost about $27 million a year.

‘Following the implementation of the nurse back injury prevention program, Workcover claims have been almost halved, saving $12.96 million a year in the cost of claims.

‘The fall in claims is mainly due to nurses incurring fewer strains and sprains when moving patients.’

Mr Thwaites said more than 100 public health care facilities across the state received funding to implement the nurse back injury prevention program.

‘The program has led to a policy of ‘no lifting’ in the workplace and many nurses have taken responsibility for identifying risk situations and taking action to protect themselves from injury.

‘Other factors contributing to the success of the program include management support, a dedicated program coordinator, training programs for nurses, improved equipment to meet handling needs of patients and procedures for risk identification and assessment,’ he said.