WORK INJURY PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT

Work injury prevention and management is a growing market area for physical and occupational therapists. Several factors support industry’s focus on work injury prevention and management: injury costs, injury types, aging population and corporate commitment to safety and health. Therapist clinical expertise evaluating worker and ergonomic factors within an already market makes work injury prevention and management service provision a growth market opportunity for all physical and occuational therapists.

Injury Costs
The cost of work injury is recognized as the largest driving force supporting prevention services. Workplaces that establish ergonomics orsafety and health programs can reduce injury and illness costs by 20% to 40%. This can have a significant affect on the company's bottom line.

Injury Types
The top ten industry/occupations that account for nearly one-third of lost work days due to injury include the following: truck drivers, nursing aides/orderlies, laborers/nonconstruction, construction laborers, janitors/cleaners, carpenters, assemblers, cooks, stock handlers/baggers and registered nurses. Sprains and strains continue to be the leading cases in every major industry division. Work injury prevention and management focusing on treating these injury types in these industrial setting are sure to have positive impacts!

Aging Population
Due to “baby boomers”, the size of the aging population will impact the workforce well into the 21st century. Greater injury severity among older workers is attributed to diminishing resilience as the neurological and musculoskeletal systems age. Work related injuries due to diminished visual acuity, strength, endurance and postural stresses are on the rise for this working subset. Injury prevention programs focused on education, workplace stretches, posture and early intervention are key to address age related injury costs.

Corporate Commitment to Safety and Health
The increase in corporate commitment to ergonomics and health and safety programs have dramatically increased in the last 10 years. The costs attributed to occupational injuries/illnesses, as well as importance of competitive advantage in the marketplace, are driving forces behind commitment to health and safety.

Physical Therapists and Injury Prevention Services
The evidence supports a growing commitment by business and industry to worker health and safety, which is good news for industrial therapists. Therapists play a vital role in work injury prevention and management service provision. The clinical expertise and knowledge that a therapist offers, specifically in body function and movement science, coupled with a therapist's ability to evaluate both worker demands and workplace ergonomic risk factors are key factors in work injury prevention and management.

Work injury prevention and management services include: early intervention programs employee education, work injury screening programs job analysis, Functional Capacity Evaluations, work hardening/ work conditioning programs, work transition programs, pre-employment programs and onsite ergonomics programs. These programs focus on the identification/reduction of physical stressors contributing to cumulative trauma injuries, in addition to the identification of ergonomic tools/modifications to decrease physical forces involved in performing job requirements.

Nicole Matoushek MPH, PT, CEES, CSHE
www.ergorehabinc.com


ErgoRehab, Inc.

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Other articles by Nichole:

Prompt Return to Work

Injury Prevention: The Shoulder Joint

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The History of Ergonomics

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The Cost of Work Related Injuries

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Functional Outcomes in Worker Rehab

Conquering Barriers in Worker Rehab

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