A Back Injury Can Be A Real Pain In The $$$ (Bank Account): How Occupational Health Management Can Benefit Your Business and Protect Your Employees.

Back injuries can be debilitating. They don’t just prevent sufferers from doing heavy lifting, they can interfere with the most basic daily activities, like walking. Back afflictions can affect employees regardless of age or fitness level, so it is important to understand what can increase the risks of injuries. One wrong lift can rupture a disk that will leave an employee permanently vulnerable, even once the pain site is treated.  According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.71 billion people globally have musculoskeletal conditions, with musculoskeletal conditions being the biggest contributor to long-term disability worldwide. To avoid putting your employees at risk, along with avoiding the costs to your business that result from worker’s compensation claims, Workplace Safety Screenings recommends an Occupational Safety Program designed to keep your business and your employees in proper alignment. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Musculoskeletal Disorders are the single largest category of workplace injuries and are responsible for almost 30 percent of all workers’ compensation costs.

The most common back injuries result from “trauma, poor body mechanics and the aging process, notes The Spine Institute. We also know that excessive weight combined with poor physical condition can escalate back pain and an employee’s vulnerability to injury. Workplace Safety Screenings offers a comprehensive Occupational Health Management program that approaches Occupational Health from every possible angle in order to proactively help employees avoid bodily damage that leads to employee downtime and the workers’ compensation costs that can rapidly rack up. Consider visits to the chiropractor, the D.O., steroid injections, or even surgery followed by physical therapy (among other costs).

We evaluate work hazards and employee health to determine:

• Predisposition to Risks - The easiest way to predict a future back injury is when an employee suffered from a previous back injury. If a previous disability occurred, an employee can exacerbate that impairment at the same trauma site or to the area of the body that was compensating for the previous injury.

• Workplace Hazards - According to NCBI, “Evidence suggests that heavy lifting, driving, and vibration of the whole body are linked to occupational back pain. Once the risk factors for occupational back pain are identified, an otherwise chronic and disabling condition can be prevented in the majority of patients.” This is where Occupational Health Management comes in.

• Employee Training - Many back injuries are avoidable with training. Employees should be educated in how to properly lift heavy equipment or machinery. Simply modifying their lifting stance to distribute weight so that it is not concentrated solely on the back can help employees avoid many, if not most, potential injuries. Paying attention to posture and repetitive motion, especially twisting and turning and other unnatural positions, go a long way towards avoiding on-the-job hazards.

Continual Monitoring

Workplace Safety Screenings will perform physicals and fitness tests to determine if an employee is at risk of injury. This helps employers mitigate the risks associated with having the wrong employee in the wrong position. Our programs help employees avoid painful injuries and employers avoid potential lawsuits and worker’s compensations claims.

Anyone who has suffered from a back injury can tell you that, even severe injuries can result from doing regular tasks. Though certain workplace conditions elevate the risk of injury, many times damage occurs from less strenuous job roles. Workplace Safety Screenings offers wellness fairs that can provide employee incentives for staying healthy, regardless of position or workplace hazards. It’s our mission to help you keep your entire staff happy, healthy and working at the highest rates of protection.