Injuries Among Pharmacy Workers
Employees in any type of retail or health care environment in Maryland can be exposed to a wide range of work hazards, whether they are working at a hospital, grocery store, drugstore, a clothing store, or a warehouse club store. Some types of workers at these retail stores, however, are exposed to more kinds of injury risks than others. In particular, we want to discuss hazards among drugstore and pharmacy workers, including pharmacy assistants and pharmacists within supermarkets, big box stores such as Target and Walmart, and in membership warehouse club stores. Unlike other types of workers, pharmacy and drugstore workers are exposed to many of the same risks as other workers at these types of retail locations in addition to hazards associated with health and hospital workers. Our Maryland work injury lawyers can explain in more detail.
Pharmacist and Pharmacy Tech Injury Risks at Work
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are exposed to a wide range of injury risks at work, whether they are working in drugstores, in hospital settings, or in other types of larger retail stores as discussed above. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) cites a number of common injury risks for workers in these positions, including but not limited to the following:
- Slip and fall injuries: Like other workers in retail environments and in hospital jobs, pharmacists and pharmacy techs can be at risk of slip and fall injuries due to liquid spills, chemical spills, and more;
- Infection and illness risks: Pharmacists and pharmacy techs often come into close contact with customers and patients who have transmissible illnesses, and they can become sick if they are infected at work;
- Repetitive motion injuries: Filling prescriptions, working cash registers, administering vaccines, and other tasks for pharmacists and pharmacy techs can result in repetitive motion injuries;
- Chemical and biological exposures: Testing procedures and vaccines administered at pharmacies can expose pharmacists or pharmacy techs to certain chemical and biological hazards;
- Needle-stick injuries: While administering tests or vaccines, pharmacists can experience needle-stick injuries, as can techs who handle medical devices;
- Fatigue and burnout-related injuries: Pharmacists can be required to work long hours, especially in hospital settings, which can lead to fatigue and burnout-related injuries such as eyestrain, or exposure-related injuries due to mistakes caused by fatigue;
- Strains, sprains, and other musculoskeletal injuries: Pharmacists and pharmacy techs may be required to perform heavy lifting and to move medical devices and drugs in large quantities that can result in strains or sprains; and
- Injuries caused by assault: Pharmacists and other workers in health care professions are often exposed to workplace violence at higher rates than workers in other jobs.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney for Help Seeking Benefits
Were you recently injured while performing work duties or while on the clock as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician? Whether your job requires you to work at a hospital or other health care facility, or in a retail store such as a drug store or food store or big box store, you may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits if you were injured. An experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can discuss your injury with you today and can begin working with you on your claim. Contact our firm to learn more about the services we provide to health care workers, retail workers, and many other types of employees in Maryland.
Source:
safetyandhealthmagazine.com/study-examines-needlestick-injuries-among-pharmacists-2/