Employee Wellness Programs: Focus on Injury Prevention

Preventing injuries is a high priority for corporations, especially in factory settings such as Honda.  That’s why the employer offers several initiatives—including line-site process evaluations —to identify  potential hazards and help reduce the chance of injury. As part of an early intervention program, Honda  employees who are feeling pain can receive a massage of the affected area during work time.

Stretching initiatives are another effective tool in injury prevention. According to the Best Practices  in Manufacturing Web site, Dayton Parts, Inc. (DPI) in Harrisburg, Pa., conducted research that  revealed approximately 80% of all manufacturing injuries occurred within the first two hours of each  shift. After implementing a program that required production employees to stretch for 10 to 15 minutes  at the beginning of their shifts, they saw a dramatic reduction in injuries.

While the DPI Company Health and Wellness Program costs about $75,000 a year to operate, in conjunction  with other employer initiatives, it has helped bring the annual cost of workers’ compensation from  $700,000 to $200,000 per year.6

To help prevent lengthy absences and reduce workers’ compensation claims, Honda instituted a work  recovery program. Through the program, workers who have had an injury can work in a modified  job—getting better. Employees in the program spend their work days receiving physical conditioning to  increase overall fitness, physical therapy to restore functionality, health education and nutrition  counseling. The program is based on data that shows fewer work days are lost when an worker stays  connected to the work environment.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, www.ohiobwc.com, provides a “10-Step Business Plan” as a  guide for corporations in offering Employee Wellness Programs that aim to reduce injuries. The plan  includes information on safety and health initiatives to prevent occurrences of on-the-job accidents,  including:

worker involvement – To ensure the success of any Employee Wellness Program, employees must take part  in the safety and health-management process. This can be done through safety and health audits,  accident investigations, or by forming safety and health involvement teams, focus groups or committees.

Orientation and training plan – Conduct orientation and training sessions to educate employees on the  employer’s safety policies. These sessions should include procedures for the safe use of machinery and  tools, chemical hazards and how to prevent contact or exposure, specific job/task safe practices, and  hazard recognition and prevention.

Communication – Open communication keeps employees informed and provides suggestions and feedback on  the effectiveness of the Employee Wellness Program. Through memos, bulletin boards and staff meetings,  important safety and health information can be conveyed throughout the organization, keeping all  management staff and employees knowledgeable about the employer’s safe practices.

The employer plan also outlines incentives for post-injury procedures, including:

Medical treatment and return-to-work practices – arly return-to-work strategies help injured or ill  workers return to work in a timely manner. Companies should begin a disability management policy to  help injured or ill employees obtain quality medical treatment, making their transition back to work  quick and effortless.

Timely notification of claims – Companies should document worksite injuries immediately after they  occur and promptly send that documentation to a claims handler. Quickly offering claim information  demonstrates care and concern for the injured worker, prevents delays and confusion with the claim  process, and reduces the potential for abuse or needless litigation.

Record keeping – Internal documents should be kept to record work-time injuries and to assess the  success of the employer’s safety efforts. Corporation audits, surveys and injury or illness reports can  all be used to assess which safety practices and policies have proven successful, and what areas of  health and wellness need improvement.