What do you get when you combine a national obesity crisis with an aging workforce?

Injured nurses, says the nursing union that forced a South Jersey hospital to provide more training and equipment to help nurses safely handle patients.

Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in which it agreed to pay a fine of $12,471 and to have equipment readily available to move patients as well as train managers and caregivers in their use.

Nurses at the hospital had long been concerned there wasn't enough equipment to help them move patients, sometimes on short notice, said Bridget Devane, public policy director of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union.

"If it's not easily accessible, you'll have to lift the patient yourself," she said. There are special chairs or harnesses that can help get a patient from one bed to another, or from bed to the bathroom and back. In addition, hospitals use "lifting teams" that pull in co-workers to help when necessary, she said.

When members reported what they felt to be dangerous conditions to state health officials, the N.J. Department of Health recommended they file a complaint with OSHA.

Last month the federal agency cited the hospital for requiring medical staff to perform unsafe patient handling tasks. As a result, it is putting into effect several changes to tackle the issue.

"Although we disputed the allegations, Virtua worked cooperatively with OSHA to achieve a resolution that builds upon our Safe Patient Handling Program, which began 10 years ago and involves direct employee participation," a hospital spokeswoman said in a statement. "That program, which includes, among other things, patient handling equipment for caregivers and ergonomics training for all employees, will be enhanced further by the collaborative relationship we developed with OSHA."

New Jersey passed a Safe Patient Handling Act over a decade ago, Devane said. The law was designed to prevent what was called at the time an "epidemic" of back injuries in the profession.

Since then, however, two factors have combined to make those protections more essential: The average patient is getting heavier, while the average nurse is getting older, she said.

"The average nurse is not 20 years old," Devane said. "She's more in her fifties."

As a result, both nurse and patient risk injury if a patient has to be moved without the proper help or equipment. "If she's lifting someone by herself, it also creates a situation where patients are put at risk too. If the nurse's knees go out, the patient will be injured as well," she said.

As part of the settlement, OSHA will conduct at least two inspections next year to monitor compliance with the settlement, the union said.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.