Causing financial damage at work (by accident)

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

If you made a mistake that cost your employer money, would you offer to reimburse? I'm not talking about a med error or anything that put a patient in danger. Let's say you dropped an expensive piece of equipment and broke it. Would you be responsible to pay for that?

[gitterbug]

No. They have insurance to cover this type of accident.

[TazziRN, RN]

Nope.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

No - as long as this applies:

• You were acting with the capacity of your employment. Meaning you were at your job and/or basically performing your job
  
• You didn't intend to make the error and there was no malice involved

I think errors are a cost of doing business, which your employer is responsible for as the business owner.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

No. I consider this general "wear & tear", and employers have insurance on expensive items for just this reason. We are human, and usually in a hurry. Things get dropped. I'll bet even the hospital administrator has pulled his phone off the desk while reaching for a report or spilled his/her coffee cup, baptizing the keyboard.

[SharonH, RN]

No. They have insurance and accidents happen. Things getting broken is part of the cost of doing business.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

What did you break?

[TazziRN, RN]

What did you break?

:rotfl: :rotfl:

I was wondering the same thing!

I have broken a lifepack before when transporting a pt to his room. I took a corner too fast and it fell off the gurney. I did not get fired, nor did I have to make restitution.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I broke a 10 mm laparoscope once, after tripping (again) over a spot in the floor and falling where the the floor had a large raised 'bubble' that needed fixed. And here i was being told by Sterile Processing's supervisor that "WE didn't break the scope, WE shouldn't have to pay for it" and were trying to stick me with the $4,500 bill. Until i presented copies of FOUR unfilled maintenence requests i had put in about that spot, and ponted out that "wow, wouldn't it be a shame if the 'suits' found out that this whole thing could have been prevented if the FIRST order had be fixed". Didn't pay for the scope, floor was fixed the next day.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I accidently took the overhead EXIT sign out with the top of an IV pole on the way to CT scan one day. They had a new one up in 3-4 days. When I drove a school bus I accidently drove over the "safe school zone" sign. They didn't get around to replacing that for months. I didn't have to pay for either one.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

When I drove a school bus I accidently drove over the "safe school zone" sign.

Sorry, for some reason, this had me laughing my orifice off lol.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Not so funny at the time. They told me to go get my eyes checked. Which I did. I now think it is hilarious. And boy do I ever love my lineless trifocals.