[Excerpt from author]Nurses are falling ill, incurring workplace injuries, and suffering disabilities from exposure to workplace hazards. As a result, the global community is losing critical members of the health care team, compounding the already existing nurse staffing crisis and adversely affecting the health and well-being of the world's population. This needless attrition seriously impairs the fulfilment of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. As well, it adversely affects the world health community's ability to meet primary healthy care needs as defined in the 1978 WHO/UNICEF Alma Ata Declaration (WHO 1978).