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Occupational Health Hazards

Common Risks

Emergency Medical Service workers face numerous amount of occupational risks due to their high activity and setting changes throughout their work days. These risks are usually very similar to health professionals. NIOSH claims that the most common injuries for EMS workers are sprains and strains. This is due to workers needing to lift a number of heavy objects, including patients themselves. Because EMS work entails working with people in high stress situations, violence is another common injury. In an examination of occupational hazards to EMS workers, almost two thirds of EMS workers had experienced some type of violence on the job. Most of these incidents were involving cursing, punching, and spitting. While all of these are physical health risks, spitting can also be a biological hazard because it can spread disease like the flu or cold. Contact with patient blood can also be a very serious biological hazard for emergency medical staff. Blood can carry pathogens that transit disease like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. In the same study mentioned earlier, 38% of EMS workers had occupational exposures, and 28% of these occurrences were from blood. EMS workers are usually the first people to respond to incidents, which means the environment typically has not been analyzed for potential chemical, biological, and physical hazards, putting workers at more risk than if they were in a controlled environment like a hospital. These can range from toxic substances from spills or broken glass and sharp metals from explosions or vehicle crashes. Workers also use disinfecting agents like bleach or alcohol based products when they are taking care of patients, which can have negative health impacts.

Consequences

Due to the pathogens and viral exposures that EMS workers face, this job can cause a multitude of diseases, for instance, Hepatitis C and B, HIV, Smallpox, and Influenza. Not only are they at risk of illness, but physical injuries, whether it be from patient altercations or from heavy lifting, can result in necessary time off from work. This puts workers at risk of financial crisis, or at being fired. The stressors that emergency medical staff face, like watching human suffering/death and the job's unpredictable nature, can cause long-term consequences for their mental health as well. Stress on the job can lead to numerous psychological disorders, heart issues, and weakened immune systems. Stress can also develop into PTSD, which can contribute to high suicide rates. The COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated these mental health issues in EMS workers due to increased field stress and limited resources.

Mitigation Strategies

Fortunately, there are a lot of proven ways to help mitigate EMS worker injury and occupational hazard exposures. Patient lifting policies and training for workers has shown to decrease the odds of on-job injury rates. Teaching workers proper form, like how to lift with their legs, helps workers protect their backs from sprains or strains. Using ergonomic equipment, like power stretchers and backboards can also potentially decrease injury from heavy lifting.