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Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Nursing assistants, 2016-2020


Background

Nursing assistants provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. They perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. Nursing assistants' duties may include medication administration and other health-related tasks.

As of May 2020, there were 1,371,050 people employed in this occupation. The average hourly wage was $15.41, and the average annual wage was $32,050.

Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses

In private industry for nursing assitants, there were 96,480 nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work in 2020. The incidence rate per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers was 1,023.8.



Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected case characteristics, nursing assistants, private industry, 2020
Case characteristic[1]Number of cases

Nature of injury or illness

All other natures

68,050

Sprains, strains, tears

15,090

Soreness, pain

8,520

Bruises, contusions

2,620

Fractures

830

Part of body affected

Body systems

65,990

Back

9,230

Multiple body parts

3,340

Shoulder

2,910

Knee

2,570

Source of injury or illness

All other sources

68,300

Patient

18,060

Floors, walkways, ground surfaces

4,990

Worker motion or position

2,000

Furniture, fixtures

1,270

Event or exposure leading to injury or illness

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

66,100

Fall on same level

5,100

Intentional injury by other person

3,610

Overexertion in lifting or lowering

3,530

Struck by object or equipment

1,450

[1] Data shown correspond to Nature, Part, Source, and Event codes based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

Fatal occupational injuries

Fatal work injuries totaled 12 for nursing assistants during 2020, compared to 7 during 2019.


Sources

Wage and employment estimates come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. Injury and illness information come from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). For more information on SOII program concepts, see the definitions page and the SOII Handbook of Methods. For more information on CFOI program concepts, see the definitions page and the CFOI Handbook of Methods.

 

Last Modified Date: January 27, 2022