Minnesota hospital workers suffered more than twice the rate of workplace injuries than other state industries in 2004, according to a report by Together for Quality Care, a campaign of SEIU Local 113.

The report also showed that hospital support staff reported the highest number of injuries in four of five Twin Cities hospital systems. Local 113 released the report at a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol.

"Today we confirm what we have known for years," said Lori Theim-Busch, a phlebotomist from North Memorial Medical Center. "As health care workers, we do not have the staff, supplies and equipment to do our jobs as safely as we can ? and as a result our health and the health of our patients are at risk."

Among the report's findings is that Minnesota hospital workers had the third highest rate of days away from work due to injury in 2004, third only to construction workers and staff at nursing homes and residential facilities. The report also found that health care support occupations suffer 45 percent of overall workplace injuries and licensed staff suffer 46 percent of overall reported injuries.

In addition, the report showed that four hospitals reported increases or only slight decreases in the number of needle stick injuries from 2002 to 2004.

SEIU Local 113 President Julie Schnell describes the poor safety record in Minnesota hospitals as Maxine Maxon and Lori Theim-Busch look on.

"Minnesota hospitals have high rates of injuries compared to other state industries, despite the fact that these injuries are preventable and that they have a negative impact on quality care," said Julie Schnell, president of SEIU Local 113. "We need to address these issues so that we can provide the best quality care possible to our patients and our communities."

The report also reviewed injury logs provided to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for five Twin Cities hospital systems, including Fairview Health Services, HealthEast Care System, North Memorial Health Care, Methodist Hospital, and Children's Hospitals & Clinics.

The OSHA 300 Logs showed that total health care support staff suffered 682 of 1,249 reported injuries, or approximately 55 percent. The report further explains that health care support staff suffered the majority of strains, sprains and pains, and blood-borne injuries at four of the five hospital systems studied, particularly North Memorial and HealthEast.

Maxine Maxon

The struggle with adequate staff levels and broken equipment continues on a daily basis at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Rehab unit on the Riverside campus. Workers say it threatens the quality of care.

"There are times when we have as many as 10 patients at a time and work with broken vital machines, commodes, and patient lifts," said Maxine Maxon, a nursing assistant at Fairview Riverside. "With that many patients and broken equipment, we are putting the safety of our patients and ourselves on the line."

Members of Local 113 employed by the five hospital systems studied in this report are negotiating a new contract agreement. The current contract expires Feb. 28. The bargaining team has proposed, but has yet to discuss, health and safety standards.

"We are working to improve quality care for our patients and our communities, but we can only make that happen if we have the staff, supplies, and equipment we need to do our jobs well. It's time for hospital employers to sit down with us to improve health and safety standards in our hospitals," said Schnell. "The health of our communities is at stake."

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SEIU launches quality health care campaign

For more information
Visit the Local 113 website, www.seiu113.com
For a copy of the report, call the union at 612-331-4690.