Boosting Safety: Lifting Injuries Reduced to Near Zero!

After 15 employee injuries were reported in 2022-2023, the EVS team at Lurie Children’s Hospital took action to address the issue.

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At a Glance

  • Impact: 87% Reduction in Injuries

  • Only two associates injured due to overexertion from September 2023 through June 2024.

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Read this partner success story about how identifying injury causes among EVS staff resulted in boosted safety and reduced employee injuries.

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The Challenge

Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago has 364 patient beds, and each EVS technician lifts a linen bag an average of 48 times per day. Research identified overly heavy linen and trash bags as a leading cause of employee injuries. In particular, linen bags often exceeded the recommended maximum weight of 35 pounds, leading to shoulder, back, and other injuries among housekeepers and other associates.

Best Practices Initiated at Lurie Children’s Hospital

Daily Safety Focus

• Introduced daily huddles with stretching and bending exercises and weekly safety topics.
• Associates encouraged to assess the weight of linen or trash bags and ask for help if too heavy.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including back braces, required.

Data-Guided Staffing and Operational Improvements

• Presented injury data to hospital leadership, resulting in four additional Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees.
• Implemented more frequent evening trash and linen pickups to reduce the workload for individual employees and proactively minimize the risk of
future injuries.

Educating Clinical Staff

• Collaborated with Nursing to emphasize limiting waste in single bags. Additional bags provided in OR and other areas to reduce linen and trash bag weight.
• Digital signage campaign to educate clinical staff on injury prevention.

 

Impact: 87% Reduction in Injuries

Only two associates injured due to overexertion from September 2023 through June 2024.

“Our goal is to minimize injuries among the EVS staff and make safety a top priority for everyone involved in
our hospital operations. By continuing to provide the necessary resources, training, and equipment, we aim to
create a safe working environment that promotes the health and well-being of the team. Their dedication and
hard work contribute significantly to the overall success of our hospital, and we are grateful for their invaluable
contributions.”
Tony Correa, Sr. Director of Support Service, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago