Craig is a midwestern safety consultant. He received a phone call from Countryside Care Center’s Director (a 207-bed nursing home facility in Aurora, Illinois that employs 65-70 nurse aides to work with residents and a total staff of 160 employees).

When the Director told Craig he wanted to hire him as a consultant to improve safety, Craig initially thought, “How dangerous can a nursing home be?” He quickly discovered this. In 2000, the average nursing home injury and illness rate was 14.2 per 100 full-time employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Coal mining (6.2), construction workers (10.8), and truck drivers have comparable rates (13.8).

Nurse aides assist residents with a variety of day-to-day tasks. Physically moving residents to and from beds, chairs, and the toilet is one of the most dangerous (to the aides). According to the Director, the nurse aides were taught “safe” lifting techniques and to always use a “two-person” lift when dealing with residents. Despite this training and the adoption of what most consider the industry’s “best practices,” nurse aides continue to suffer a high rate of injuries (particularly back injuries) that result in Workers’ Compensation claims.

Craig has read about healthcare safety training and mechanical lifting devices, but is unsure what advice would be best to improve safety and reduce injuries.

Do the following in a 2-3 page report written in APA style with at least two references:

Recommend to Craig a more effective safety program that he could suggest to the nursing home’s director in order to reduce injuries.
Inform Craig of any equipment that could be purchased to help residents with the lifting process.
Suggest to Craig a safety incentive program you believe could be implemented to incentivize employees to reduce injuries while remaining cost-effective.