Keeping Employees Safe

Healthcare employees encounter a range of potential hazards in the hospital environment including exposure to infectious diseases and musculoskeletal injuries from lifting. As a healthcare employer, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) values its employees and is committed to providing a safe environment for them. There is growing evidence that providing a safe work environment for employees corresponds with a safer patient environment.

One important measure of a safe work environment is the employee injury rate. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires that annually employers report the rate of employee injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees (FTE's)

Influenza is also of concern in the healthcare environment and the vaccination rate of hospital employees is another important measure of a safe work environment. Achieving high rates of vaccination among hospital employees has been demonstrated to reduce employee absenteeism, protect patients, and reduce overall healthcare costs. Since 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) requires that all hospital employees be offered flu vaccination and either be vaccinated or decline the vaccine. Additionally, hospitals are required to report their rate of employee influenza vaccination to the MDPH each year.

Click on any of the measure names below to see a detailed description of the measure, our performance over time and what we are doing to improve. On the chart below, hover your mouse over the data columns or icons to see more information.

Measure	Our Current Performance	Comparison Group	How We Compare
Influenza (Flu) Vaccination Rate
Employee Influenza Vaccination Rate	91.1% 2011 - 2012 Flu Season	81.4% 2011 - 2012 Flu Season	MGH performance is significantly better than the MDPH benchmark (higher values are better).
Measure	Our Current Performance	Comparison Group	How We Compare
OSHA Illness/Injury Rate
Occupational Illness and Injury Rate	4.1 Per 100 full time employees (CY 2011)	7.0 Per 100 full time employees (CY 2010)	MGH performance is significantly better than the OSHA benchmark (lower values are better).

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