24 February 2021
 Categories: Law, Blog

If you are a Director of Nursing for an assisted living or nursing home, you know the importance of reducing on-the-job injuries. These injuries can lead to personal injury cases against the company, especially if the injury requires more medical attention than insurance or workman's compensation will cover. Your assisted living or nursing home may have already met with a personal injury attorney or legal advisor to discuss possible issues or processes if injuries do occur. However, here are a few quick and easy changes you can make to policies to reduce the risks of personal injury to your certified nursing assistant staff members.

Back Support Braces

One of the leading injuries a certified nursing assistant can sustain is a back injury. These injuries can happen from various issues, but the most common is improper support of their back muscles. Ideally, the CNA has been trained in proper lifting and turning techniques and is also using a two-person assist system. If these steps are already in place, the next step to help reduce personal injury is to require the use of back support braces. These braces can offer proper lower- and middle-back support while also assisting the CNA in knowing when they are moving improperly.

Slip Proof Shoes

There are many assisted living and nursing homes that are offering free uniforms. Part of the uniform is a set of slip-proof shoes. These shoes are either offered by the company directly or are given in the form of a redeemable coupon to purchase the shoes at no cost. The costs are usually paid back out of the CNA's paychecks. The reason several nursing homes and assisted living facilities are moving to this option is that a high-ranking personal injury issue is due to slips and falls. The CNA may have the wrong shoes, or some shoes may say skid-proof but are not slip-proof. Ensuring the CNAs have the right shoes can reduce the chances of slips and falls greatly. 

Ongoing Training Checks

In most states, CNAs are required to re-certify every three years. However, depending on the CNA training program you use, you may have CNA's trained very differently. This difference in training can cause severe personal injuries and accidents to your staff and to your residents. To make sure all your CNAs have the right training, offer an in-house training before they go on the floor to work. Require routine training checks that certify the CNA to return to the floor or that require them to attend additional training. 

These are just a few of the ways you can help reduce personal injury for your CNA staff. Keep in mind that your CNAs do a great deal of the work for your residents. Lifting, turning, helping with hygiene, and helping with toilet trips can all take a toll on a CNA's body. By reducing the chances of personal injury, you can help keep your staff and your residents safe.