--- title: Health Care Workers Protect Us. It’s Time to Protect Them. description: "Value Capture Managing Director Ken Segel and Catalysis Executive Chairman John Toussaint, MD co-authored this article, published in the Harvard Business Review: Health Care Workers Protect Us. It’s Time to Protect Them." image: https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/nursefaceshield-1.jpg --- # Health Care Workers Protect Us. It’s Time to Protect Them. June 19, 2020 Written by Ken Segel Value Capture Managing Director **[Ken Segel](https://valuecapturellc.com/staff/ken-segel/) **and Catalysis Executive Chairman **[John Toussaint, MD](https://createvalue.org/who-we-are/board/#)** co-authored **[this article](https://hbr.org/2020/06/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them)**, published in the Harvard Business Review: ### [Health Care Workers Protect Us. It’s Time to Protect Them. ](https://hbr.org/2020/06/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them) “Before Covid-19 pandemic struck, the U.S. health care industry suffered [more than 550,000 work-related injuries and illnesses per year](https://www.bls.gov/iif/soii-charts-2018.pdf), or 150,000 more than any other industry in the country. Therefore, it is no surprise that health care workers have been harmed at tragic rates during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of June 4, 72,346 U.S. health care workers had been infected, a figure it acknowledges is an undercount. A comprehensive [national analysis](https://khn.org/news/exclusive-investigation-nearly-600-and-counting-us-health-workers-have-died-of-covid-19/) indicates that almost 600 health care workers have died. Every instance of a health care worker being harmed on the job is preventable. Every single one. So it is time to finally take the safety of health care staff seriously. It is time for the industry to go from the worst to the first in safety. A few visionary leaders and organizations have set out on that course and proven that it is possible. Drawing from their practices before and during the pandemic, we offer five leadership imperatives.” **[Read more](https://hbr.org/2020/06/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them)** to learn the five leadership imperatives, and examples of healthcare leaders driving staff harm down toward zero. [Articles & News](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/tag/articles-news), [Safety](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/tag/safety) ![Ken Segel](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/ken%20segel%20value%20capture.jpeg) #### Written by [ Ken Segel ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/author/ken-segel) Ken Segel is a co-founding principal of Value Capture and serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the firm. [Full Bio](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/team/ken-segel) ##### Like it? Share it: [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them) ### You may also like [Habitual Excellence Episode #4: Ken Segel on Zero Harm and Theoretical Limits ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) ##### [Habitual Excellence Episode #4: Ken Segel on Zero Harm and Theoretical Limits](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) 1 June, 2020 Listen: [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-4-ken-segel-on-zero-harm-and-theoretical-limits) [High Reliability Organizations and the Value of a Preoccupation With Failure ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) ##### [High Reliability Organizations and the Value of a Preoccupation With Failure](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) 14 April, 2020 [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/high-reliability-organizations-and-the-value-of-preoccupation-of-failure) [Habitual Excellence Episode #2: Ken Segel on Leadership in the Covid-19 Era ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) ##### [Habitual Excellence Episode #2: Ken Segel on Leadership in the Covid-19 Era](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) 11 May, 2020 Listen: [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-2-ken-segel-on-leadership-in-the-covid-19-era) #### Submit a comment ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Ken Segel", "url" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/author/ken-segel" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-26T23:09:10.799Z", "datePublished" : "2020-06-19T09:26:35.000Z", "headline" : "Health Care Workers Protect Us. It’s Time to Protect Them.", "image" : [ "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/nursefaceshield-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/health-care-workers-protect-us-its-time-to-protect-them", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/www.valuecapturellc.comhs-fshubfsValue%20Capture%20White%20Logo%20Transparent-3.png" }, "name" : "Value Capture" } } ```