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EMT Injuries At Work

EMS

There are injury risks that come with any type of job, from those that require typing work behind a desk to work that requires obviously hazardous job tasks such as highway driving or performing work from heights on roofs or scaffolding. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in Sunrise are often at risk of a wide range of injuries, from those associated with motor vehicle collisions caused by third parties on the roads to harm linked to providing emergency care to patients in medical settings. What should you know about EMT and paramedic injuries on the job in South Florida? Consider some of the following information from our Sunrise workers’ compensation attorneys.

Common Work Tasks for EMTs and Paramedics 

In order to understand the range of ways in which EMTs and paramedics are at risk of serious injury on the job, it is important to be clear about the wide range of job-related tasks in these professions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the following are some of the frequent job duties that EMTs and paramedics perform on a regular basis:

  • Providing first aid to a patient who is ill or injured;
  • Assessing a patient’s condition to determine what type of medical attention to provide;
  • Responding to emergency calls and performing emergency medical services, which can involve giving CPR, dressing wounds, starting IVs, and other forms of medical attention;
  • Loading patients carefully and safely into an ambulance, which often involves moving and/or lifting a patient who may be ill or injured;
  • Transporting patients quickly to a nearby emergency department for emergency care;
  • Documenting a patient’s condition and any medical services rendered; and
  • Providing an assessment of the patient to an emergency department nurse or physicians.

How EMTs and Paramedics Sustain Injuries at Work 

Given that EMTs and paramedics are tasked with heavy lifting jobs like loading patients into an ambulance, driving at high speeds to ensure that patients reach an emergency department as quickly as possible, and providing medical care, they are exposed to many injury risks that vary widely. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following are the most commonly identified injuries affecting EMTs and paramedics:

  • Sprains and strains;
  • Contusions and abrasions;
  • Leg and foot injuries;
  • Back and neck injuries;
  • Arm injuries;
  • Hand and finger injuries;
  • Overexertion injuries;
  • Injuries resulting from violence and assaults;
  • Injuries caused by exposure to hazardous substances;
  • Injuries resulting from transportation accidents;
  • Struck-by and contact injuries; and
  • Slips, trips, and falls.

When an EMT or paramedic sustains an injury on the job, it is critical to report the injury to their employer as quickly as possible. Florida law requires that injuries must be reported within 30 days from the date of the injury in order for a worker to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Sunrise, Florida

 If you were injured while working as an EMT or paramedic in South Florida, you should get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible to find out more about obtaining compensation for your injuries. You may be eligible to file a workers’ compensation, and in some cases, you may be eligible to file a third-party lawsuit. One of the Sunrise workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. can assist you.

Sources:

bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm#tab-2

cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ems/data.html

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