Operators can reduce expenses and injuries by installing mechanical lifts, according to a study jointly released by the University of Maryland and the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Investigators concluded that facilities using safe lift programs generally faced lower worker’s compensation costs and experienced fewer workplace-related injuries. For the study, researchers interviewed directors of nursing in 200 different facilities that had been using mechanical lifting devices for at least three years. Overall, long-term care facilities had an injury rate of 8.4 per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.