Injury prevention services

The average work-related injury costs $36,000

What are the financial costs of an injury to a business?

After accounting for medical costs, prescriptions, disability and other expenses—the average medically-consulted work-related injury costs an employer $36,000 according to a 2009 National Safety Council study.

Plus, there are indirect costs such as training replacement employees, lost productivity and overtime, legal expenses and equipment and property repairs—which can cause the total injury cost to multiply by four to 10 times more. As such, the $36,000 injury can balloon to $180,000 to $396,000.

Suppose your company has a 10 percent operating margin—they would need to generate $1.8 to $4 million in revenue to pay for these additional expenses of a single injured employee.

This is why injury prevention—and stay-at-work and return-to-work—programs are critical.

Ergonomics

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, musculoskeletal system injuries affect more than 1.8 million workers a year with an annual cost of $54 billion to companies. North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance estimates 35 percent of injuries are caused or influenced by poor ergonomics.

Ergonomics studies the interaction and fit between the worker and his or her work environment. Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic's certified ergonomic specialists will come to your job site to assess the workplace, equipment, job tasks and workers. The specialists will provide your company with recommendations to correct any identified risk factors in an effort to prevent injuries.

The Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic ergonomics program addresses not only the traditional office setting, but also industrial settings like construction, manufacturing, healthcare, service and retail industries.

Office ergonomics
Even though most office work is light or sedentary, the likelihood of injury is equal to that of doing heavy labor. This is due to positions that are maintained for hours, repetitive tasks and poor computer or workstation setup. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, shoulder impingement, back strain and sprains and tendentious are common workplace musculoskeletal injuries. With the correct recommendations and subsequent modifications, many common musculoskeletal injuries can be avoided.

Industrial ergonomics
Though workstation design can play a big role in the industrial setting, other factors are also present, such as work processes, tool and machine interaction and overall body mechanics. Whether it's simple changes in lifting techniques, the repositioning of materials or the use of lifting aids, Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic's goal is to optimize the fit between the workplace environment and worker, thus improving productivity while reducing the chance for occupational injuries.

Service list

Ergonomic assessments and consultation

• Individual workstations and complete worksites
• Injury prevention consultation
• Tailored recommendations
• Worksite design, space and material planning
• Employee and supervisor training seminars

Benefits of choosing the Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic ergonomics program

• Certified ergonomic specialists
• Assessments performed onsite with supervisors and employees during live job tasks
• Recommendations designed to reduce injuries, increase performance and reduce workers' compensation costs

Call us today to take a step toward an injury-free workplace.

Pre-work screens

Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic can assist companies with the pre-employment process. Pre-work screens offer an excellent method to assure job applicants can perform the physical demands of the job safely. In this process, they will receive education and training on safe lifting and body mechanics. Whether you have existing job descriptions or are looking to add pre-work screens to your hiring process, Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic can assist you to meet your needs.

Return to work

Sanford Health Occupational Medicine Clinic takes pride in our ability to help injured workers return to full duty. After a prolonged leave of absence from injury, a return to work test can be completed to determine if the worker is physically capable and safe to return to their prior job duties.

Functional job analysis (FJA)

The functional job analysis (FJA) is a test that measures the physical exertions of a job such as the amount of weight an employee is required to lift, force required to perform a job task, positional tolerance or mobility needed to perform specific job duties. Functional job analysis testing can be a valuable tool in assisting your company to produce accurate job descriptions, setting up a pre-work screen process or return-to-work program to assure your workforce can perform the job competently and safely.

Fit for Duty program

This program is designed to match workers and jobs in hiring, injury prevention and return-to-work situations. It works by measuring a job's physical demands and testing a worker's ability to perform them.

Benefits of the Fit for Duty program:

• 82% reduction of restricted days
• 50 % reduction in workers compensation costs
• 50% reduction in lost time days
• Reduction in medical costs within workers compensation

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