January 21, 2000 Get employees involved when trying to reduce back pain in workplace (Article as it appeared in Columbus Business First)

"Here's My Advice" column submitted by CareWorks President and CEO, William W. Pfeiffer, as it appeared in the January 21, 2000 Columbus Business First

(COLUMBUS, OH) -- The negative effects back pain can have on your company is serious business. In fact, back pain is second only to the common cold as the leading cause of lost work days in America.

The financial costs of back pain can be staggering. Today, the average back injury costs more than $18,000 in combined compensation, medical expenses and potential liability costs. The annual cost for back injuries exceeds $100 million in Ohio alone.

Today, more than ever, good ergonomics equals good economics. Improving your operation's ergonomics, defined as the science of adapting work or working conditions to fit workers to improve well being and productivity, can reap big dollar savings.

To develop an effective Back Pain Reduction program, your company can focus on three fundamental elements to success.

Total employee participation in analyzing back pain risks within your operations; Visible leadership by management to identify risks and implement solutions; and, A pro-active return-to-work program for injured employees. To reduce back pain in your organization, first you have to find the source. Management, working closely with those employees directly familiar with areas of high stress and strain, should conduct a thorough job task analysis of all operations. Be sure to evaluate the office environment as well as production areas for potential risk.

As you map out your facility, identify each individual manual lifting task, pinpointing those tasks and areas where injuries occur most frequently. Then, create a report card of your operations by calculating a physical stress level score for each task.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH's)"Work Practices Guide for Manual Materials Handling" is a great guide for calculating stress levels and includes formulas and data on weight limits (Publication No. 94-100, NIOSH (800) 356-4674 or www.cdc.gov/niosh).

As your in-house stress analysts make their way around your operations and draw attention to safety issues, employee awareness and an overall concern for health will be heightened.

From this analysis, identify those tasks that fall outside the limits suggested by NIOSH and implement solutions to reduce stress levels and injury risk. Some solutions may require the assistance of an outside professional ergonomist or possibly the purchase of new equipment. Other solutions may be easier to implement.

Administrative controls such as strength testing can help you avoid assigning workers to tasks that exceed their strength capabilities. Daily physical conditioning and stretching programs reduce the risk of muscle strain while increasing employee awareness of your overall safety program on a daily basis.

There are also a number of engineering controls an employer can use to combat back pain. Reducing the size or weight of the object being lifted, eliminating lifting which occurs below knee height or above shoulder height and installing mechanical aids or automated equipment are some adjustments that may be required.

To an employer the costs to purchase new equipment or customize existing equipment may present a longer cost-benefit range than is normally acceptable. Be open minded about these costs. Many times, reducing long-term injury costs and increasing operational efficiency greatly outweighs short-term costs.

If you do decide to add new equipment, thorough, hands-on demonstrations of this equipment to your employees can remove any hidden communication barriers. Often, an employee may avoid new mechanical aids simply because they do not know how to use them or don't understand why they were put in place.

Unfortunately, workplace injuries will still occur. How you manage these injuries once they occur is the most important element to your success.

Timely reporting of all new workplace injuries is essential. Ohio employers need to work closely with their managed care organization (MCO) to report new injuries as quickly as possible. Your MCO should offer a 24-hour, toll-free injury reporting service. The medical attention your injured employee receives within the first 24 hours following an injury is as important as any medical care they'll receive throughout their recovery.

Once an injury is reported, providing your injured employees a modified or alternative work option gets them back in the workforce sooner. Development of a structured Transitional Work program can become your primary defense against prolonged absence from work and the associated claim expense.

Today's employer needs to understand that even though back injuries are a major workplace safety challenge, they are a challenge that can be overcome. Work closely with your employees on the front line, identify your risks and implement solutions that keep both your operations efficient and your employees healthy.

William W. Pfeiffer is President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbus-based CareWorks, a managed care organization for workers' compensation. CareWorks provides medical management services to more than 48,000 Ohio employers, representing more than half a billion dollars in workers' compensation premium. You can reach CareWorks, toll-free, at 1-888-627-7586 or visit them on the Internet at http://www.careworks.com.