Nurses Celebrate Passage of Safe Patient Lifting Law
March 8, 2006
The Washington State Legislature today passed legislation (House Bill 1672) to promote
safe patient handling and prevent workplace injuries amongst registered nurses and
health care workers. This is a top legislative priority for the Washington
State Nurses Association (WSNA) this session, and the victory is the result of efforts
made by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) along with other unions and
hospitals. The Washington Senate voted 48-0 today to approve the bill. Yesterday,
the Washington House of Representatives voted 85-13 in favor of the legislation.
“Registered nurses throughout the State applaud the passage of this critical
legislation and are celebrating this key victory which will reduce musculoskeletal
injury for nurses at the bedside,” said Kim Armstrong, BSN, RN, President
of WSNA. Health care workers are the leader among all industries in Washington
State for musculoskeletal disorders, with injury rates higher than other dangerous
occupations such as construction, agriculture, manufacturing and transportation.
The manual moving, transferring and re-positioning of patients is the primary cause
for the high rates of back injury in the health care industry.
“Health care lags way behind many other industries as they have mechanized
to remove the causes of acute and chronic back injuries. These injuries not
only lead to higher worker compensation and insurance costs, but also drive many
registered nurses out of direct patient care. We look forward to working with
the hospitals in the implementation of this law,” added Judy Huntington, MN,
RN, Executive Director of WSNA.
This legislation will promote safe patient handling and reduce injuries amongst
health care workers by establishing a Safe Patient Handling Committee (with at least
half of the Committee be direct care providers) and implement a safe patient handling
policy to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among health care workers and injuries
to patients. The law will also mandate hospitals to acquire the much needed
lifting equipment and provide staff training.
Text of the Safe Patient Lifting law that was passed in 2006.
