Reducing workplace injuries using
athletic principles
Logic Health. It makes sense
My Background
• Exercise Physiologist
• AFL/Institute of Sport
• Trade Assistant
• Consultant
• Logic Health
Logic Health. It makes sense
Overview
My aim is to give you some relevant solutions to reduce the
incidence and severity of workplace injuries.
• Current state of workplace injuries
• Athletes v Employees
• Three cost effective strategies
• How to implement each one
• Getting management support
Logic Health. It makes sense
Current state of the issue
90% of serious workers compensation claims were caused by
injuries and MSD’s
Sprains and strains accounted for 42% of all serious claims
Back is still the highest injured area
Median lost time for males is 5.2 weeks and females 6 weeks
Work Safe Australia Compendium of Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics Australia 2012–13
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Current state of the issue
Average claim cost of $33,034 (SRCC 2009)
The next generation to enter the workforce is the most
overweight and obese that ever before.
Soon to have people working into their 70’s
48% of seafarers are over 45yrs of age, yet they accounted for
59% of accepted claims - Hospitals, Aged Care, Construction
Safety Rehabilitation & Compensation Commission
Seacare Annual Report 2011-2012
Work Safe Australia Compendium of Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics Australia 2012–13
Logic Health. It makes sense
Three Athletic Principles
Athletic Principles
At Work
Biomechanics
Occupational Role Profiling
Onsite Coaching
Pre Screening
Pre-Employment
Strength & Conditioning
Job Hardening
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Athlete v Employee
Athletes train on a daily basis for a specific goal. In most cases they
train five plus times per week, and have dieticians, sports doctors,
physiotherapy's, recovery sessions , pilates, yoga, hyperbaric
chambers available.
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Athlete v Employee
If you compare this to some of the physical work completed by
employees, the body is often put through more strenuous postures
for greater lengths of time with none of the same support available.
Quite often this compounded by poor eating habits, in some cases
poor sleeping habits and extreme weather. Take a steel fixer on a
construction site or a nurse in a hospital even call centre employees.
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Athlete v Employee
We need to proactively manage our employees as if they were
athletes – Industrial Athletes.
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Biomechanics
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Biomechanics in sports
All high level sports have is a set of well defined biomechanical
principles that are documented and if followed provide quality
performance with minimal risk of injury.
Theses principles are what guide athletic testing, rehabilitation &
strength and conditioning.
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Biomechanics in the workplace
In most workplaces there is little consideration given to this. Yes we
may say that someone has to lift heavy things or work stooped over
but the actual quantifiable detail of how long and to what extent is
often left out.
These biomechanical documents are called Occupational Role
Profiles (ORP’s) or Job Demand Assessments.
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ORP’s – Biomechanics of a job
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Biomechanics of the Job
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Occupational Role Profiles
ORP’s are important for;
• HR – To understand the tasks they are hiring for
• HSE – To understand the risks inherent and risk mitigation
strategies, also to guide training
• IM – Identify what aspects of a job put employees at risk, and
what an injured employee can do.
Once you know the biomechanics and physical demands you can test
employees specific to these.
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Pre-Screening
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Pre-screening in sports
Athletes are rigorously assessed and checked for injury and
suitability for a position prior to being awarded a contract. This also
gives their employer an idea of what physical attributes need to be
improved.
This same principle does not occur in a lot of organisations and often
where it does the assessment is very generic and basic.
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Pre-Screening
Once you know the physical demands of a job you can assess a new
starter against these physical demands to identify their capacity to
carry out the job.
If assessed correctly this will allow you ensure new starters do not
have pre-existing injures and employees returning to work are in fact
fully fit.
Logic Health. It makes sense
Pre-Screening
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Pre-Screening
These same assessments should be used to guide rehabilitation
providers to the “fit for duties” standard.
Key Consideration
• Progressive overload
• Creating some element of fatigue
• Testing high risk areas four to five different ways
• Bi annual?
These assessments will allow you to identify any weaknesses which
can direct any job hardening specific to the physical demands.
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Strength & Conditioning
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Strength & Conditioning
In an athletic setting regular strength and conditioning is conducted
to reduce injury and improve performance.
In most workplace settings this does not occur. Having a workplace
health and wellbeing program with lunchtime sport is not the only
answer.
How are you engaging your high risk employees? How are you
identifying these employees?
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Strength & Conditioning
Implementing an ongoing job hardening program targeted at the
high risk anatomical areas is critical to improving productivity and
reducing injuries.
These programs can be as simple as using a resistance band on a
daily basis.
In organisations with high physical demands you need to identify
where an employee does not meet the physical demands/has
ongoing workers compensation issues and engage them in such a
program.
CARE Overview
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Strength & Conditioning
If you want to tackle sedentary activity implementing a resistance
band program is a great risk mitigation strategy.
Active rest breaks strengthening and stretching those key
musculoskeletal areas.
Also important for the ageing workforce
By having a “conditioned workforce” you will generally have less
severe injuries and employees recovery faster if they do get injured.
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Biomechanics of the employee
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Biomechanics of the employee
Athletes biomechanics are assessed to improve performance and
reduce injuries.
In the workplace this occurs in the form of an ergonomic assessment
or quite often in manual handling training.
There are a few issues here.
Who does manual handling training at their workplace?
What is the main advice given?
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Biomechanics of the employee
We need to provide relevant and realistic solutions to employees, we
also need to provide these in the form of Onsite Coaching.
Going out and working with employees.
Video and photograph only to provide them with the data and show
them how they work,
Engage the workforce, spend time doing their job with them
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Biomechanics of the employee
We can now quantify the level of muscle activation of an employee
whilst they are doing certain tasks.
This feedback is essential to giving employees a visual understanding
of how they work, and what postures can cause damage.
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Biomechanics of the employee
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Implementation
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Support to implement
Do you want to implement some initiatives but are worried you
wont get management support.
Here are three strategies
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Costs
1) Identify the current cost/pain
2) Engage your broker/insurer
3) Do a trial to measure success
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Costs
The cost of these injuries varies greatly
There is a great tool on the Worksafe QLD website
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True Cost
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True Cost
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In Summary
Employees are industrial athletes.
By applying the principles of
• Biomechanics
• Pre-Screening &
• Strength & Conditioning
you will reduce the severity and number of injuries.
Logic Health. It makes sense