Weight nurses required to lift?

[psychnurse1998]

Does anyone know how much weight a nurse is required to be able to lift? I know nurses have to be able to lift patients. Also in psych facilities nurses and mental health workers have to restrain patients.

[glasgow3]

A few comments if I may:

If a person is injured at the work place, I always suggest that they consult with an attorney who specializes in such matters. Initial consults are usually free of charge. Work comp laws can vary drastically from state to state and I would not allow my employer to be the sole source of information regarding my rights under the laws of my individual state.

I would be skeptical of any employer who tells an employee that they will not be covered for an injury incurred while lifting because they did not use lifting equipment furnished by that employer. Work comp is generally a no fault situation: In return for guaranteed/specified benefits for an injured worker, that worker can not sue the employer over and above those benefits. Are there exceptions? Of course, but that's the usual deal. The point is, even if the worker does something stupid (for ex removing the safety guard from a power tool) and that worker cuts off his hand, that worker is still covered. In most cases that worker CAN later be fired, however, for failing to follow company rules.

Now I don't know where the poster resides who believes that nurses have a right to no manual lift workplaces, but in the vast majority of states, nurses have no such right. Progress is being made, but even in some states with no manual lift laws on the books, the language/guarantees are so weak that most nurses still lift patients by hand.

Also, while using good posture and body mechanics is helpful, doing so will NOT prevent lifting injuries. The ample research clearly shows that without appropriate equipment it is simply not possible to prevent injuries.

Finally, with respect to the original question, the employer can specify on the job description whatever weight they choose for nurses IF that employer can show the essential functions of the job necessitates being able to lift that amount. If an employee can not perform those essential functions with or without reasonable accomodation, the employer is under no obligation to retain that employee.

The whole thing can be quite complex....union contracts, state laws, facility policies, federal laws all can have an effect on a given situation/case.

Which brings me back to my original recommendation....if weight lifting requirements are adversely affecting your employment status, or if you have been injured at work, see an attorney to learn your rights.

[not now, RN]

50 lbs at my hospital. But we have a transport/lift team, it's mainly a bunch of young, big guys (a couple women) who do nothing but turn, lift, transfer and transport people. I don't have to move anyone that I don't want to move. They'll also go pick up blood for me. Oh, and they respond to any "Code Grey" calls to restrain people. I'll see them wandering the halls asking if anyone needs to be turned or moved so they're constantly on the floor willing to help. Good stuff.

[nurseingforlife]

We use a company called Romedic to lower our injuries. They have been fantastic and i love the devices they have. We have sheets used to reposition patients that stay on the bed. And ceiling lifts to lift, roll, limb hold and other things. I think there a lot of companies that do tis stuff now and a lot of them are from Swedan for some reason.

[elkpark]

It also depends on your work setting -- I work in a free-standing psychiatric hospital and we have no lifting equipment at all. Granted, we don't have to lift people very often, but it does happen.

[suanna]

"NO LIFT POLICY" sounds like a great idea in theory, but in practice there is never enough devices to go around, staff to apply the devices or time to use them properly. In addition, the equipment must be readily available and in good working order to be of any use at all. In my experience a no lift policy is just a way for the hospital to place blame on the nurse for getting an injury when the lifting demands exceed the safe physical strength of the staff available. In the hospital I work for one of our newer ICU units has lifts built into all the ceilings but the lift sheets that attach to them are always in short supply and you still have to turn the patient back and forth to change the sheet- that's half the work. As a rule I try never to pull up more than 50kg per person. Standing and walking - weight is the least of your problems. When even a 50kg patient goes limp you don't have convenient handles to grab ahold of like a box at UPS. The best you can hope for is to ease the patient to the floor and protect thier head, then the fun begins - Getting all that dead weight to the bed or chair is almost impossible no matter how many people you have. We have a pretty thorough "body mechanics" instruction that comes with orientation but if you do a little research you will find "proper body mechanics" have almost no impact on injuries. They were invented with the same mentality as "no lift policies" - just an excuse to blame the nurse when they hurt themselves lifting a patient. Final thought- how much you are expected to lift often depends on your genitals. (isn't that what we use to lift patients?) If you have an outie(guy) you are expected to lift twice your weight without help. If you have an innie(girl) you can get away with about half your weight. If you have used them to get pregnant you are expected to sit back and watch the guys do the lifting.