Businesses across the U.S., both large and small, corporate and family-owned, are experiencing astronomical medical costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses. It is estimated $250 billion is spent a year on lost workdays, workers’ compensation claims, medical bills, staff replacement and retraining -- all of which have a major impact on an employer's bottom line. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates employers pay almost $1 billion per week for direct workers' compensation costs alone.  

This does not begin to touch on the indirect hardships of workplace injuries and illnesses for workers, their families and employers. It is not uncommon for workers’ compensation benefits and inadequate medical insurance to fall short and cause additional hardships. That is why it is critical to take control of your employees’ health (and related costs) through preventive measures and incorporate a workplace health management system before accidents and illness happen. 

When implemented effectively, prevention programs help workers and their families avoid disruptive impacts on their lives and will significantly lower your business’s health care costs related to occupational injuries and illnesses. More importantly, you will create a workplace environment that truly values its employees, which will not only drive employee satisfaction and morale, but ultimately job production. 

However, despite the value to employers and workers in terms of injuries prevented and dollars saved, many U.S. workplaces have not yet adopted injury and illness prevention programs according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). If your business has not put a workplace injury prevention and health management plan in place, it’s time to get started. 

Did you know that Georgia is a direct access state and employees do not need a physician referral to see a licensed physical or industrial therapist? This means that physical therapists can evaluate and begin to treat a number of conditions right away, including arthritis, neck pain, lower back pain, spinal or posture issues, joint pain and dysfunction, plantar fasciitis, post surgical care, sprains, strains, fractures and many more.

Go straight to the source by working directly with highly skilled physical therapy providers trained in industrial ergonomics. Together, you can create a health prevention plan focused on reducing employee deconditioning and chronic illness. For more than 25 years, West Rehab & Sports Medicine has been providing these services to businesses, both large and small, across the Lowcountry. 

The physical demands of certain jobs can be extremely taxing on workers. In our experience, it’s helpful to perform a job site analysis first to identify each employee’s specific job demands, as well as a functional capacity evaluation which evaluates the individual’s capacity to perform work activities related to his or her employment. In some cases, our team is asked to do this in advance of a new hire, in which case we perform a pre-work screening to identify an applicant’s ability to perform the physical demands of a specific job before signing on the dotted line.

While there are many benefits from developing a workplace health management system, at the end of the day, none are more important than the increased employee loyalty and morale motivation that come along with it. 

Be the change you want to see in your workplace culture and start by showing employee health is a top priority.

Becky West is the co-owner of West Rehab & Sports Medicine and a licensed physical therapist with more than 30 years of experience. She can be reached at (912) 353-WEST x100 and [email protected].