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Nurses, certified nursing assistants, hospital technicians, and other healthcare staff face some of the highest injury rates of any occupation in America. Patient-handling back injuries, needlestick exposures, workplace violence, slip-and-fall injuries on polished hospital floors, and infectious disease exposure are part of the daily reality of healthcare work. When those injuries happen, Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law gives healthcare workers the right to medical care and wage-loss benefits, but getting those benefits is rarely as simple as filing a claim.
At Gieg & Jancula, we have represented injured Pennsylvania workers for more than 80 years. Our attorneys handle healthcare workers’ compensation claims for nurses, aides, techs, and support staff in Reading, Berks County, and across the Commonwealth. We understand how hospital systems defend these claims, and we know how to protect injured healthcare workers from the tactics insurers use to minimize or deny benefits.
If you were hurt while caring for others, call Gieg & Jancula at 814-946-1606 for a free, confidential consultation. There are no fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Healthcare Workers Have Among the Highest Injury Rates in America
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare and social assistance consistently ranks as the industry with the highest number of non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the United States. Nurses in particular suffer musculoskeletal injuries at rates that exceed workers in construction, manufacturing, and warehousing.
The reasons are no mystery to anyone who has worked in a hospital. Healthcare workers lift patients who weigh far more than any safe lifting standard allows. They work rotating shifts that make fatigue almost inevitable. They encounter sharp instruments, bodily fluids, and infectious diseases every day. They walk and stand on hard floors for 12-hour stretches. And in emergency departments, psychiatric units, and nursing homes, they face a growing rate of physical assaults from patients and visitors.
Reading-area healthcare workers at Reading Hospital, Penn State Health St. Joseph, and dozens of nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and clinics across Berks County carry the same injury risk every shift.
Common Healthcare Workers’ Compensation Claims We Handle
Our workers’ compensation attorneys handle the full spectrum of healthcare worker injuries and occupational illnesses.
Back, Shoulder, and Neck Injuries From Patient Handling
Lifting, repositioning, and transferring patients is the single largest cause of serious injury to nurses and CNAs. Even “safe patient handling” devices do not eliminate the risk. Herniated discs, rotator cuff tears, and chronic neck and back injuries end nursing careers every day. These injuries are compensable under Pennsylvania workers’ compensation whether they result from one specific incident or from the cumulative effect of years of patient handling.
Needlestick and Sharps Injuries
A single needlestick can expose a nurse, phlebotomist, or surgical tech to HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne pathogens. Workers’ compensation covers post-exposure testing, prophylaxis, and treatment, as well as any disease ultimately contracted. Documenting the source patient and exposure circumstances is critical.
Workplace Violence Injuries
Assaults by patients, visitors, and family members are a growing problem in Pennsylvania hospitals, nursing homes, and behavioral health facilities. Emergency department staff, psychiatric nurses, and nursing home aides are at particularly high risk. Injuries from these assaults are generally covered by workers’ compensation, and in some cases a third-party claim against the assailant may also be possible.
Slip, Trip, and Fall Injuries
Polished hospital floors, spilled fluids, cluttered corridors, and improper footwear all contribute to serious fall injuries among healthcare workers. Broken wrists, hip fractures, and knee injuries are common.
Infectious Disease Exposure and Occupational Illness
Healthcare workers face elevated risks of tuberculosis, influenza, COVID-19, MRSA, and other infectious diseases contracted on the job. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation can cover these illnesses, though insurers often contest whether the exposure happened at work.
Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive motions involved in charting, medication administration, EKG and ultrasound work, dental hygiene, and surgery lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and other repetitive stress injuries that qualify for workers’ compensation when work related.
Latex and Chemical Allergies
Chronic exposure to latex, cleaning agents, sterilizing chemicals, and chemotherapy drugs can cause occupational allergies and sensitizations that end careers and require long-term medical management.
Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Healthcare Workers
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act entitles injured healthcare workers to:
- Medical benefits for all reasonable and necessary treatment of the work injury
- Wage-loss benefits at approximately two-thirds of the average weekly wage, up to statutory maximums
- Specific loss benefits for the permanent loss or loss of use of a body part, as well as disfigurement to the head, face, or neck
- Death benefits for surviving dependents when a work injury or occupational illness proves fatal
Benefits are available regardless of fault. However, healthcare worker claims face some of the most aggressive defense tactics in the system, including challenges to whether an injury is truly work related (versus caused by a pre-existing condition), surveillance to find evidence of activity the insurer can use against you, and Independent Medical Examinations designed to cut off benefits.
Third-Party Personal Injury Claims for Healthcare Workers
Workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against your direct employer, but a third-party personal injury claim may also be available in many healthcare injury cases. Common third-party scenarios include:
- Defective medical equipment that malfunctions and injures a worker (product liability claim against the manufacturer)
- Faulty patient-handling devices such as mechanical lifts, slide boards, or gait belts
- Needlestick injuries from poorly designed sharps that violated OSHA’s Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
- Assaults by patients or visitors where the facility had notice of the risk but failed to provide adequate security
- Injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash while traveling between facilities, making home visits, or responding to an emergency
- Premises liability when the hospital grounds, parking garage, or outside sidewalks were owned by a different entity
Third-party claims pay for the full range of personal injury damages, including pain and suffering and full lost wages, that workers’ compensation does not cover. Coordinating both types of claims correctly can dramatically increase a healthcare worker’s total recovery.
Reading, PA and Berks County Healthcare Context
Reading and the broader Berks County region are served by one of the largest healthcare networks in southeastern Pennsylvania. Reading Hospital, part of the Tower Health system, is a major regional employer. Penn State Health St. Joseph, local nursing homes, surgical centers, and community clinics employ thousands of nurses, aides, techs, and support staff across the county.
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claims from Berks County typically go before Workers’ Compensation Judges assigned through the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, which oversees the system statewide. Our attorneys have handled workers’ compensation claims across Pennsylvania for decades and are familiar with the process in every district.
What to Do After a Healthcare Workplace Injury
1. Report the Injury Immediately in Writing
Notify your charge nurse, supervisor, or employee health office right away. Pennsylvania law requires notice to the employer within 21 days to receive full benefits, and no later than 120 days to receive any benefits. Report in writing (even an email counts) and keep a copy.
2. Get Medical Attention Promptly
Do not try to “work through” an injury. Healthcare workers are notorious for downplaying their own symptoms, and that habit undermines workers’ comp claims. Follow panel physician rules for the first 90 days if your employer has posted a provider list.
3. Document the Incident
Write down exactly what happened, including the patient involved (for a lifting injury), the exposure source (for a needlestick), the assailant (for a workplace violence incident), or the equipment involved. Take photos of equipment if possible and preserve any defective items.
4. Identify Witnesses
Coworkers who saw the incident or know about hazardous conditions can make or break a contested claim. Get names before memories fade.
5. Watch for Surveillance and Social Media
Workers’ comp insurers routinely surveil injured healthcare workers and review their social media. Assume you are being watched and avoid any activity that is inconsistent with your reported limitations.
6. Do Not Give Recorded Statements Without Counsel
Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions designed to shrink or defeat your claim. Do not provide recorded statements before talking to a workers’ compensation attorney.
7. Call an Experienced Workers’ Comp Attorney
Our attorneys offer free consultations and can be reached through our contact page or by phone at 814-946-1606.
Why Choose Gieg & Jancula
Our firm has represented injured Pennsylvanians for more than 80 years. One of our partners spent years defending insurance companies before joining the firm, which gives our team insider knowledge of how workers’ comp insurers evaluate, defend, and deny healthcare worker claims. We know the surveillance tactics, the IME doctors, and the medical defenses they use, and we know how to counter them.
Our case results include substantial recoveries in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and workplace cases. We work on a contingency fee basis, so there is no cost unless we recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file workers’ comp for a cumulative injury like a herniated disc from years of patient handling?
Yes. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation covers cumulative-trauma injuries as well as single-incident injuries, as long as the injury is shown to be work related. Documentation from treating physicians linking the condition to work duties is critical.
What happens if I was exposed to COVID-19 or another infectious disease at work?
Infectious disease exposures can be covered by Pennsylvania workers’ compensation when the exposure happened on the job. Insurers often contest these claims by arguing exposure could have happened elsewhere, so documenting the exposure source promptly matters.
Can I sue the patient or visitor who assaulted me?
Workers’ compensation is your primary remedy against your employer, but you may also have a third-party personal injury claim against the person who assaulted you. In some cases, you may also have a premises liability claim against the facility if it failed to provide adequate security after notice of prior threats.
Will my employer retaliate if I file a workers’ comp claim?
Retaliation against an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim is illegal in Pennsylvania. If you believe you were disciplined, denied shifts, or terminated for reporting a work injury, you may have a separate wrongful discharge claim.
Talk to a Reading, PA Healthcare Workers’ Comp Lawyer Today
If you are a nurse, CNA, hospital tech, or other healthcare worker injured on the job anywhere in Reading, Berks County, or Pennsylvania, do not navigate the workers’ compensation system alone. Call Gieg & Jancula at 814-946-1606 or reach us through our contact page for a free consultation. No fees unless we win your case.