Occupational health
and fitness newsletter
JANUARY 2007
CROOKBACK MOUNTAIN
Miller Health can show you how to dramatically reduce the impact that musculo-skeletal dysfunction is having on your organisation. Dramatically!
BEST PRACTICE
IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND FITNESS
It lays out the case for focusing on the health side of the OH&S equation.
It looks at the aims and objectives of a systematic OH&F program - designed to lower the risk of
▪ absenteeism
▪ presenteeism
▪ worker's compensation
▪ staff turnover
It stresses the importance of making the distinction between injury and dysfunction.
It includes sample graphs of a typical OH&S risk audit.
SITTING DOWN
If you spend years sitting down and you don't have a decent strength and flexibility program you're setting yourself up for a crookback, stiff neck, sore shoulders and limp wrists.
THE HIDDEN COSTS
Our experience shows that a lot of the costs of musculo-skeletal dysfunction are hidden. The costs are in presenteeism and lowered productivity.
Many people don't enter into the workers' compensation loop, they just put up with the discomfort. They soldier on thinking it's normal to experience chronic musculo-skeletal pain. They think it's a normal part of getting older.
But the pain robs them of their vitality, they feel miserable and become depressed. It's an interesting statistic that a high proportion of people who are depressed also experience musculo-skeletal pain.
THE STRAW
THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK
It doesn't take much of a straw to break a back that's already poorly supported and out of alignment.
BLAME THE STRAW!
If you don't know how poorly supported or how out of alignment your musculo-skeletal system is, when the back breaks you'll blame the straw.
The most common straws are
- the chair
- the desk
- the key board
- the mouse
- the phone
- filing papers and putting books
on shelves
- swiveling to pick up the phone
book
- bending down to insert a
memory stick into the USB port
- ...
DEVOLUTION
OF A SPECIES
The species designed to draw water, chop wood and climb trees can no longer tap a keyboard or pushing a pen without coming down with a crook back and a limp wrist.
IT'S A BIG ASK
It's a big ask expecting to stay healthy without keeping yourself fit.
It's an even bigger ask expecting to get better by having someone do something to you; sooner or later you have to do something to yourself.
Healthy People
Healthy workplace
Healthy business
2007, THE YEAR YOU BROKE THE
BACK OF THE MUSCULO-SKELETAL
DYSFUNCTION CYCLE
|
There's a mountain of musculo-skeletal dysfunction in our corporate organisations and it's costing an absolute motza; crook backs, stiff necks, 'cold' shoulders, bung hips, game legs, dicky knees and limp wrists.
However, there's a good chance you can cut your musculo-skeletal compensation costs by 80% if you can follow these three simple rules -
|
|
|
1. |
Make the distinction between dysfunctions and injuries. If you can't make the distinction, every dysfunction will be labeled as an injury and work will get the blame. By far and away, the higher proportion of musculo-skeletal incidents in our workplaces, particularly where people are sitting down all day, are caused by dysfunctions, not injuries.
Injuries are generated externally; things fall on people, they fall over things, they breathe in noxious fumes ... You can manage this risk by making your working environment safer, watching your step, avoiding hazards ...
Dysfunctions are generated internally by lifestyle neglect. You can manage this risk by becoming fitter and healthier.
Keep your eye on the health side of the OH&S equation.
MUSCULO-SKELETAL DYSFUNCTION
The cause? Motion starvation. Very few people have a strength and
flexibility training program that keeps their body in good
alignment. Take a look at the results in our new ebook
Best Practice in Occupational
Health and Fitness, or better still, if you want a really
good picture of what sort of shapoe people are in, comb through
the results on our results page.
The treatment? Motion - a strength and flexibility program that gets bones back into alignment. Pain goes away. People feel better. Mood becomes elevated. Expenses go down. Productivity improves. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
Measure the risk. Our experience suggests that very few musculo-skeletal incidents come from 'out of the blue'. Very few camel's backs are broken by straws.
If you measure strength, flexibility and mobility you'll get a clear picture of the risk and what you need to do to lower it.
If you don't know what the risk is, you can't manage it. |
|
3. |
Develop and then implement a strategy to reduce the incidence of dysfunction. |
THE HIGH COST OF DOING NOTHING
If you can't make the distinction between injury and dysfunction and you don't manage the risk then you're going to have to cop it sweet. Every dysfunction will get treated as though it's an injury.
Every time someone gets a crook back or a limp wrist you're going to have to fork out for a new chair, a gel pad and a hot wheat bag.
When that doesn't have any effect, it's down the chute into the surgery, over the road to the chemist and then off to the rehab provider. From there its a seamless journey through to the physio for a rub down, crunch and the electric shock.
It's just more ambulances at the bottom of the cliff.
The result? More of the same. Your staff are battling on through the pain and feeling miserable and you've got one heck of a workers' comp bill.
HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO
TO HELP YOU BREAK THE
MUSCULO-SKELETAL
DYSFUNCTION
CYCLE.
|
1. |
We Measure the risk. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
We produce an audit report. |
|
|
|
|
3. |
We help you develop and implement a long term strategy to dramatically reduce the incidence of musculo-skeletal dysfunction within your organisation. |
|
|
|
|
4. |
We educate all your staff about the causes of musculo-skeletal dysfunction and how to either prevent it or fix it up. We take all your staff through the Crookback Clinic where they can learn how easy it is to do the key exercises their bodies need to promote correct alignment. |
|
|
|
|
5. |
We train your OH&S staff to conduct strength and flexibility prehab clinics in-house. |
|
6. |
We monitor the program. |
THE AIM?
To reduce your musculo-skeletal rehab expenses by 80%. It might take a couple of years, but that's the target and you can achieve it if you're diligent and persistent.
(Start by writing your goal down in BOLD CAPITALS and posting it in places where everyone in your organisation can see it.
THE COST?
It's not a cost, it's an investment. And whatever the investment it will be peanuts compared with your insurance premiums.
Invest 10% of your workers' compensation insurance premium to pay for all your staff to take part in a comprehensive, regular and systematic musculo-skeletal health improvement program.
If you do the job properly, it will more than pay for itself by a reduction in next year's premium.
THE RESULT?
Healthy people, healthy workplace, healthy business. Your staff won't be putting up with continuous discomfort. They'll be pain free, and happier to boot. Morale will be boosted, productivity enhanced. People will love coming to work. Absenteeism will plummet. You'll get the gong!
ARE YOU
INTERESTED?
DO YOU WANT
MORE INFORMATION?
SEND ME A NOTE
Fill in the contact form or give us a call (02) 6288 7703. We are now taking bookings for 2007. I can send you a draft proposition.
Make 2007 the year you stop the musculo-skeletal epidemic dead in it's tracks.
Start a musculo-skeletal risk audit and strategy program now and reap the benefits by the end of the year.
In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and keep telling your staff,
'It's a big ask in our culture expecting to stay healthy without keeping yourself fit. It's an even bigger ask expecting to get better by having someone do something to you; sooner or later you have to do something to yourself.'
John Miller