title: Accidents at work in the health care - legal aspects in Poland.
abstract: An accident at work is a sudden event caused by external circumstances that occurred in relation to work. Referring to the current legislation, the Supreme Court judgments and the opinions contained in publications, the authors discuss the legal aspects of selected accidents: needle stick injuries, cuts with other sharp tools, heart attacks and strokes among health professionals and social workers in Poland. It has been stressed that defining rigid criteria that allow for stating unequivocal work - accidents relationships would be difficult or even impossible. Especially in the case of medical personnel the long-term and negative impact of stress on health is significant, and thus the occurrence of work accidents - heart attack or stroke.
authors.affiliation: Social Insurance Company (ZUS), Branch Office in Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szereda
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Pedodontics, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szymańska
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D016602:Needlestick Injuries; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011044:Poland; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: Poland; accident at work; health care workers; law