OSHA to Host Caregiver Training Conference on Safe Patient Handling
The four Wisconsin OSHA offices are offering a one-day training conference scheduled for September 9 in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., to advise professional caregivers on how to avoid ergonomic injuries, falls, and work-related illnesses.
The conference, to begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. and adjourn at 4:15 p.m. CDT at the Chula Vista Resort, is the third in as many years created by OSHA's Wisconsin offices in a continuing effort to help caregivers understand how to protect themselves and work safely as they help others. Registration is available on the Web site of the Wisconsin Health Care Association, one of several co-sponsors for the conference, at www.whca.com (click on "Education & Events Calendar").
"It's imperative that we reach out to these special people who care for our loved ones," said Kimberley Stille, OSHA area director in Madison. "This effort will provide health care employees with the information they need to return home safe and healthy at the end of the workday."
The National Continuing Education Review Service has reviewed and approved the program for educational credit. The conference was designed with the cooperation of professional associations and state and federal agencies, as well as several insurance agencies concerned with nursing and long-term care facilities.
Nursing homes and residential care facilities employ approximately 2.8 million employees at 21,000 worksites nationwide. Many nursing home tasks require considerable lifting and other strenuous physical labor. Historically, the injury rate for employees in these facilities is double the injury rate for all full time employees in other occupations.