Nursing assistants are valuable members of a medical staff. These hard-working individuals do a variety of tasks in medical and nursing facilities. Their jobs help residents of nursing homes, care facilities, hospitals, and clinics. Because of the many different jobs a nursing assistant needs to do every day they are at an increased risk of injury.

Nurses aides provide a variety of care to patients in clinic, hospital and nursing home settings. These basic care tasks include bathing patients, dressing patients, measuring vital signs, moving patients, among many other responsibilities. This is a labor-intensive job and the risk of injury can be high. There are several hazards a nursing assistant faces each day. Working with patients puts nurses at risk of exposure to blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids. They are at risk of contacting hepatitis b and c, human immunodeficiency virus, among many others. A nurses aide should wear eye protection, gowns, gloves and masks to help prevent the risk of an infection disease.

Another common injury among nursing assistant is back injuries. Nursing assistants do a lot of manual labor including turning patients in beds, helping patients into and out of wheelchairs, assisting patients with walking, etc. All of these tasks can easily lead to a back injury. A nursing assistant should use proper lifting techniques and hoists and assistive devices. If these devices are not available, two people should be used in helping patients. Like back injuries, repetitive stress injuries are also common. Examples of repetitive stress injuries can include carpel tunnel, tendinitis and trigger finger.

A nursing assistant is also exposed to hazardous materials on the job and chemical exposures are a job hazard. Employers should make material safety data sheets available to all employees. Those who are injured at work may want to speak with an attorney who specializes in workplace injuries. An attorney can help their client with their workplace injury claim and make sure they receive the compensation they deserve.