Every year, businesses spend company profits on work-related injuries and illnesses.
On average
nationally, $1.20 per $100 spent on payroll goes toward expenses such as workers' compensation, retraining costs, absenteeism,
decreased productivity and faulty product.
Safe and healthy work environments improve employee morale. More satisfied
employees increase productivity, often rating their workplaces as "better places to work". They return to work more quickly
after an injury or illness, and they produce higher-quality products and services.
OAK TREE PT can show you how to
reduce your costs associated with occupational injury and illness by 20 to 60 percent. In today's business environment,
this could be the difference between profit and loss.
Introduction:
Direct costs of job-related injuries
and illnesses can accumulate quickly and cost your business a lot of money. Furthermore,
each injury also incurs indirect costs, which are real, and which also affect the bottom-line of your business. Indirect costs involve such expenses as:
- The remainder of a day’s wages for an employee who must leave work
due to an injury on the job
- Reduced productivity
- Training replacement workers
- Overtime
- Cost to hire replacement workers (Usually estimated at 10% of the employee’s annual salary, involving: advertising, interviewing, hiring and training.)
- Administrative, supervisory, and management costs to investigate, follow-up and correct deficiencies
This partial list gives
you an idea of how much more you spend beyond the documented direct costs of lost wages and medical expenses for each job-related
injury. The simple rule of thumb is that indirect costs add up to about twice
the expense of direct costs, tripling your documented expenses.
Oak Tree PT can help you reduce
your total costs due to job-related injuries and illnesses by up to 60% per year. We
accomplish this by assessing your facility, and then training your management team and your staff. Your short-term investment produces long-term significant results.
Often, costs can drop even lower
by also employing additional longer-term solutions. These solutions include job-specific
physical training for healthy employees, proper medical management of those employees who do sustain injuries, involving employees
in safety awareness and low-cost incentive programs, and tracking outcomes closely.
OSHA has recently issued new guidelines
for protecting workers in the nursing home industry, and they are revising their guidelines for all other industries as well. The agency has also become more serious about enforcement. OSHA recognizes a written ergonomic assessment report as a significant demonstration of good-faith effort
on the part of the employer to seek out and remedy job hazards within the facility.
This can go a long way toward protecting your facility from liability and OSHA fines should a serious job-related injury
occur.
OAK TREE PT’S PROGRAM FOR DECREASING YOUR COSTS:
PART I
Job Site (Ergonomic) Analysis:
1. Interview appropriate personnel.
2. Job description review.
3. OSRA Log review.
4. Physical inspection of jobs.
5. Videotape analysis of worksite to identify potential risks, offer effective solutions,
and personalize training programs.
Normally, this takes 2-3 days on site. It will provide you with:
1. Outline for employee/manager training and education.
2. Videotape for personalization of training for supervisors, managers and employees. [Can be used by staff for future training.]
3. Suggestions for Medical Management.
4. Written evaluations of jobs and recommended solutions for hazard prevention and control.
PART II
SUPERVISOR/MANAGER TRAINING:
A 3 hour training program and
workshop for supervisors and managers in groups of twenty-five on OSHA's Safety and
Health Program Approach; Understanding Back Injuries; Ergonomics and Injury Prevention, including:
1. Lecture and discussion on OSHA’s Guidelines.
2. Lecture and discussion of Specific Job Site Factors
by reviewing on-site videotape and written report of Assessment Findings and Recommendations.
3. Lecture and discussion of Ensuring Compliance with
Safety Policies.
4. Demonstration and practice of Correct Lifting Techniques
and Body Mechanics.
5. Demonstration and practice of Specific Warm-up and
Stretching Exercises.
PART III
EMPLOYEE TRAINING:
A 3 hour training program and
workshop for twenty-five to thirty employees on OSHA’s Safety and Health Program
Approach; Understanding Back Injuries; Ergonomics and Injury Prevention, including:
1. Lecture and discussion on OSHA’s Guidelines.
2. Lecture and discussion of Specific Job Site Factors
by reviewing on-site videotape and written report of Assessment Findings and Recommendations.
3. Lecture and discussion of Ensuring Compliance with
Safety Policies.
4. Demonstration and practice of Correct Lifting Techniques
and Body Mechanics.
5. Demonstration and practice of Specific Warm-up and
Stretching Exercises.
6. Roundtable discussion on Brainstorming Incentives
for Increased Safety Performance.
OTHER BENEFITS OF A PROACTIVE ERGONOMIC AND SAFETY PROGRAM:
1. DECREASE INSURANCE PREMIUMS
2. DECREASE ACCIDENTS
3. DECREASE ABSENTEEISM
4. DECREASE TURNOVER RATE
5. INCREASE WORKER MORALE
6. INCREASE WORKER JOB SATISFACTION
7. INCREASE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WORK “PRODUCTIVITY”
8. INCREASE COMPANY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
9. BETTER TOTAL HEALTH OF ALL WORKERS
10. ENHANCED COMPANY REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY
