Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas that is formed from the natural radioactive decay of uranium found in many rocks, soils and water. It is a known human carcinogen. As the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, it presents a serious health risk to those exposed.
Healthcare workers, especially those employed by nursing homes, perform a variety of lifting tasks that put extreme strain on their bodies. Often, an employee must physically support and move residents who are larger and heavier than he or she can bear. As a result, these workers are at high risk for developing job-related injuries. Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants have the highest incidence rate of musculoskeletal disorders, two times greater the average rate of all occupations. A recent study showed that healthcare workers sustained 47,840 injuries over a period of a year that required days away from work, the second highest of any occupation. Overexertion was the leading cause or exposure for those injuries.
Healthcare providers have been increasingly utilizing technology and turning to digitization. Innovations such as telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), digital billing systems and connected devices continue to reshape the industry.
Sustainability has become increasingly important for healthcare facilities. Faced with regulatory requirements, cost-saving opportunities and growing public expectations for environmental responsibility, healthcare facilities are pursuing green initiatives that align with operational efficiency and risk management goals.
Over the last few years, the healthcare industry has been navigating a volatile landscape shaped by changing market demands, labor shortages, inflation and supply chain difficulties. In 2025, several trends could continue to impact the sector, including workforce safety concerns propelled by staffing shortages and changing skills requirements, increased cyberthreats due to increasing technology reliance, ongoing efforts to secure medical supplies and medications amid supply chain challenges, and the risks associated with expanded telehealth use.
Because of age or incapacitation due to illness or injury, patients in health care settings often need help performing normal daily tasks like sitting up or walking. Helping patients with these tasks requires significant physical demands, putting employees in danger of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
On Feb. 21, 2024, Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) and one of the largest platforms for managing health insurance billing and payments in the United States, experienced a large-scale cyberattack. This attack forced the company to shut down over 100 services across its system for multiple weeks, affecting millions of health care providers and patients across the country.
Workplace violence in the healthcare industry has been declining, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely absent from hospitals and other medical clinics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults and violence occur in healthcare and social services settings.
In February 2024, hackers initiated a cyberattack against Change Healthcare, a leading health claims processing provider in North America that processes approximately 15 billion health care transactions annually.
Many medical devices contain configurable embedded computer systems that can be vulnerable to cyber security breaches. In addition, as medical devices are increasingly interconnected via the Internet, hospital networks, other medical devices or smartphones, there is an increased risk of cybersecurity breaches, which could affect how a medical device operates.
