Most severe injuries occurring among workers in assisted living communities and continuing care retirement communities from 2015 to 2023 were due to falls and tripping, according to data in a new online tool from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
During that time period, 149 total severe injuries were reported in assisted living communities, with 140 workers hospitalized and 13 amputations, according to OSHA’s Severe Injury Report dashboard. Most of the injuries were due to falls and tripping.
In CCRCs, 103 total severe injuries were reported between 2015 and 2023, with 95 workers hospitalized and eight amputations. The top reasons for severe injuries in such settings were falling due to tripping over an object or slipping.
Federal law requires employers to notify OSHA of any work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputations or loss of an eye within 24 hours of the incident. The dashboard, which includes information on all severe injuries reported by employers in states covered by OSHA since 2015, allows users to search and download data by year, industry (using NAICS codes), state, organization name and Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes.
OSHA said that the dashboard uses the agency’s resources to help prevent workplace injuries and could benefit employers and workers by showing how severe injuries happen in their industries. An attorney from law firm Fisher & Phillips agreed that the dashboard could benefit providers by showing them what’s going on in their communities, to effect change and make their companies safer for everyone. But he told McKnight’s that the tool also could be used by “unscrupulous” attorneys, community activities and union organizers.
In assisted living communities, Florida saw the highest number of severe injury reports, according to the dashboard, with 33 total reports describing a total of 32 employee hospitalizations and three amputations. Texas followed, with 21 total severe injury reports, leading to 20 hospitalizations and two amputations. Wisconsin had 12 total severe injury reports, with all of those workers being hospitalized, and New York had 10 total reports, with nine hospitalizations and one amputation.
In CCRCs, Pennsylvania had the highest number of severe injury reports, at 27, with 25 hospitalizations and two amputations. Florida followed, with 22 severe injuries reports, 21 hospitalizations and one amputation.
