Employees sometimes get hurt on the job — which is why savvy facility managers must establish an injury prevention plan to help front-line technicians and grounds maintenance workers avoid injuries.
“When working to establish an injury prevention program, facility managers should first audit their worksites and injury data to understand where the potential for injuries might exist,” says Julie Landis, doctor of physical therapy and vice president of Business Development for Briotix Health in Centennial, Colorado.
“An injury prevention program should also include a documented process by which employees can report discomfort and work challenges, as well as any injuries. Employees should be given a means of support to help reduce or eliminate the identified workplace risk.”
Injury potential is often revealed by asking about and observing the jobs that no one likes to do, Landis has found. Managers should involve employees in the process of establishing wellness programs and leverage any unique site-specific injury data to support targeted initiatives.
Doing this “will help to focus on any low-hanging fruit, and will help to ensure that time, energy and dollars are most appropriately allocated,” Landis says. “It should help to look at injury logs, workers’ compensation, disability, accommodations, medical loss run data, near-miss reports and other site-specific metrics.”
An often-underrated source of injuries is bad posture. According to Landis, this can create an imbalance in the body, leading to increased stress to the neuromusculoskeletal system and resulting in muscular discomfort, stress and difficulty focusing.
“Left unaddressed, many work-related discomforts can lead to injury and both mental and physical challenges,” Landis says. “Conversely, good posture sets the stage for increased attention, mental focus, blood flow, respiration and productivity. Having a great workstation set-up can help support the body in neutral postures where work tasks are not compromised by increased energy demands to the body.”
Injury prevention plans need to include a means for employees to ask for and receive support for any discomfort, injuries, and workplace concerns.
“Many employers I have worked with have programs in place that support education and training as well as access to professionals who can evaluate workstations for ergonomic risk and then suggest a variety of improvement options,” Landis says. “This may include specifying appropriate equipment such as lift tables, ergonomic chairs, or floor matting to restructuring work schedules or work task rotation.”
Injury prevention policies should support an employee’s ability to get up, move, and adjust their postures throughout the day, she adds.
“Once solutions have been implemented it’s important to follow up directly with employees and through a process of re-evaluation of risk reduction to confirm improvements are underway, that risk is being reduced, and that employees are feeling comfortable, confident, and supported from a wellness and safety perspective while working.”
Howard Riell is a freelance writer based in Henderson, Las Vegas.
