L ong-term care (LTC) facilities face many challenges to providing ongoing high-quality care while maintaining an economically efficient operation. A major contributor to these challenges is workplace injuries to staff. The healthcare industry continues to be one of the worst performers in protecting workers from sustaining occupational injuries. A review of trends related to occu-pational injury experience reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that annual injury rates at LTC facilities are consistently much higher than for all private industries and other healthcare fields. 1 According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), the private industry had a rate of 3.6 inju-ries per 100 full time employees (FTE) in 2009, whereas LTC facilities reported a rate of 8.4 injuries per 100 FTE that same year. 2 Injuries result in direct and in-direct costs. Direct cost is defined as the compensation paid to the injured worker plus the medical costs required to treat the injury. Indirect costs include items such as cost to replace the injured worker, administrative time, training time, reduced productivity on the unit, and other operational expenses. In the health-care industry, inflation-adjusted direct and indirect costs associated with back injuries—the most significant occupational injury problem for most healthcare organizations—were estimated to be $7.4 billion annually in 2008. 3 Most back injuries in caregivers are related to resident handling tasks. In fact, back strains and sprains account for more than 60% of the direct costs as-sociated with occupational work injuries. 4-9 Although many organizations have attempted to control this problem, its persistance in facilities has been well documented. 4-12 The pain and suffering to direct-care staff, in addition to the workers' compensation costs associated with these injuries, are significant burdens on a facility's resources. In light of shortages of direct-care staff, an aging workforce, and high turnover rates, the loss of valuable skilled workers through work-related injuries can create an additional crisis for healthcare organizations. A comprehensive report generated by the NCCI, done in cooperation with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, indicated that an increased empha-sis on safe lifting programs at LTC facilities is associated with fewer workplace injuries and lower workers' compensation costs. 2 These findings were based on statistical analysis and considered ownership structures and differences among workers' compensation system across states. The study also identified the key components of an effective and safe patient handling program, which included powered lifting equipment, policies and procedures, training, compliance with the policies and procedures, and direction from senior leadership, such as the director of nursing. Findings summarized in an article by the Patient Safety Center of Inquiry in Tampa, FL, which reviewed current evidence for effective interventions designed to reduce caregiver injuries, provide further insight into the key elements of Direct-care workers and staff members in long-term care (LTC) facilities face many problems related to occupational musculoskeletal and joint injuries. Strat-egies supported by evidence-based practices are available to help health-care providers solve these problems rather than merely react to them. These strategies can improve the quality of work life for staff, protect residents, and reduce the frequency, severity, and costs of work-related injuries acquired in LTC facilities. Details of a pilot study in one LTC facility illustrate how to develop and implement an effective and safe resident-lifting program to achieve these aims. (Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging. 2012;20[2]:XX-XX.)