SafeLiftingPortal.com Lists 15 Reasons to Help Prevent Caregiver Injuries

FRANKLIN, Mass. – August 30, 2006 – SafeLiftingPortal.com – a one-stop clearinghouse of information on the safe lifting, transfer and repositioning of patients – offers 15 reasons why hospital managers and administrators must act to help prevent caregiver injuries.

The interest in safe lifting practices continues to grow throughout the healthcare industry amid the passage of legislation in several states aimed at reducing caregiver injuries, said Brian Wright, Vice President of Marketing and Education of Liko, Inc., sponsor of SafeLiftingPortal.com and one of the world’s leading suppliers of patient lift and transfer solutions.

“Healthcare institutions investing in education, training, and equipment are succeeding at preventing lifting accidents and related caregiver injuries,” Wright said, “but more needs to be done.”

The responsibility of implementing such programs often rests with lift committee members, risk managers, safety directors, occupational health professionals, and there is no shortage for justification to enacting such efforts.

According to Wright, every caregiver injured in a lifting accident represents:
1. A potential lifetime of needless pain and suffering
2. Multiple days off for sick leave, and possibly additional days of light duty
3. A potential lifetime of workers’ compensation costs
4. Losses in efficiency and productivity
5. A host of unanticipated infrastructure costs including paperwork, management time and related expenses
6. Potential inadequate staffing and resulting diminished quality of patient care
7. Potential costs for a replacement employee, including recruitment costs and new employee training costs
8. Potential damage to organizational morale
9. A potential increase in insurance rates
10. A loyal, skilled employee who might be forced to leave their chosen profession
11. A potential lawsuit
12. Potential overtime costs for existing staff
13. Potential negative publicity
14. A potential inquiry by a regulatory compliance agency
15. One or more days added to the nearly one million working days lost annually due to lifting injuries

Wright urged all interested parties to utilize SafeLiftingPortal.com (www.safeliftingportal.com) resources to develop and deploy organization wide programs to reduce patient lift accidents for the benefit of caregivers and patients alike.

Resources at SafeLiftingPortal.com include “Safe Lifting Environment” program presentation aids, educational materials, and links to related web sites.

The site also features a new online calculator that provides an estimate of potential “Return On Investment” (ROI) from the implementation of a safe lifting program and to help justify the investment of time, training, and capital equipment.

For more information, visit the Safe Lifting Portal at www.safeliftingportal.com. Both SafeLiftingPortal.com and the Safe Lifting Environment program are sponsored as a public service, by Liko, Inc.


About Liko
Liko is one of the world’s leading suppliers of patient lift and transfer solutions. The company’s products include mobile lifts, overhead ceiling mounted systems, and a variety of injury prevention solutions. For more information on Liko’s sponsorship of the Safe Lifting Portal, contact Liko Inc., 122 Grove Street, Franklin, MA 02038; telephone (888) 545-6671 or (508) 553-3993; fax (508) 528-6642; or visit the Liko website at www.liko.com