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November / December 2009

Safely Surviving the Economic Downturn: How Can CIS Onsite Help?

It is well known that injuries cost companies money. That is a fact that will not change during our tough economic times. In fact, injuries may likely increase due to the additional stress on today’s workers. Effectively reducing injury costs can save companies a significant amount of money, while also keeping their worker’s safe and productive. CIS Onsite has a variety of services that can help reduce injury costs. The expenditures required for CIS services are minimal when compared to the overall injury cost savings a company obtains from implementing these services.

Musculoskeletal Disorders have cost the United States 45-54 billion dollars per year. A typical diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with surgery can involve $30,000 in direct medical expenses and $90,000-150,000 in indirect costs. Indirect costs include things such as lost productivity, administrative costs, costs of hiring/training replacement workers, litigation costs, etc. A back injury can involve $40,000 in direct medical expenses and $120,000 to $200,000 in indirect costs.

Preventing injury is the most effective way to reduce injury costs. However, even after an injury has occurred there are ways to still reduce the overall financial impact on the company. CIS Onsite offers customized solutions based on the needs of the employers with whom we partner.

Following is a list of our services and how they can help reduce a company’s injury costs:

On-Site Physical and Occupational Therapy

Performing therapy on-site allows the employee to stay on the job while receiving one on one treatment and job site intervention from a licensed Physical or Occupational Therapist. This reduces the cost of transportation to and from a clinic, as well as, the indirect costs associated with the loss of production or paying someone to cover for the employee. Companies direct cost of therapy is reduced as well with less treatments required and job site intervention which reduces transitional time an employee may encounter with being away from their job because of the injury.

Early Intervention Program (EIP)

CIS Onsite EIP has reduced Worker’s Compensation costs by up to 30-50% at client companies. EIP addresses pain issues early and decreases the need for costly medical treatment. Intervention is effectively performed on-site, addressing real work issues while educating employees about how to handle their symptoms.

Job Analysis

A Job Analysis outlines the physical demands of a job through written summary, digital pictures, and video. It provides accurate information about a job to assist medical personnel with return to work recommendations. This helps to minimize the risk of re-injury, which would add to the overall cost of an injury claim. Job Analysis can also be used to objectively outline the job to determine whether injury/pain complaints are work related or not.

Ergonomic Job Position Evaluation (EJPE)

An EJPE analyzes the interaction between workers and their work stations. An EJPE can greatly reduce risk factors associated with injury through employee education and work design recommendations. By reducing risk, injuries are reduced, and overall Worker’s Compensation costs are significantly lowered.

Educating all individuals involved in the work process improves everyone’s knowledge of injury risk factors. CIS Onsite training promotes self-responsibility to lead a healthy lifestyle both at work and at home. A comprehensive understanding of how the body works helps motivate individuals to take an active role in reducing their risk for injury through stretching, work technique modification, body mechanics education, and reduction of personal risk factors.

Medical Case Management

CIS Onsite Case Managers expedite proper medical care and return to work to reduce medical costs involved with an injury claim.

If you would like additional information on any of our services, please contact Jim Panozzo at CIS Onsite for more details (866) 298-1312 or jpanozzo@cisonsite.com..

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What’s Hot in Ergonomics:

The Aging Workforce

Over the next decade, the 45 and older crowd within the workforce will grow to an unprecedented percentage of the working population. The advantage to having such an employee population is the work ethic and skill level that they often bring to the job. The difficulty for companies is that employees are aging and becoming more prone to injury. They perform the same or similar job tasks for years and their bodies are beginning to breakdown more often. Unfortunately, the higher production benefits of experienced employees are often being out-weighed by the costs of work related injuries to these employees. So good employees, who work for companies 10, 20, even 30 years and are interested in making an honest living, are now considered a problem. How can we enjoy the production and work ethics benefits of having long term employees while lowering workers' comp costs at the same time?

Many experienced workers feel that the aches and pains they are feeling are just a natural part of aging. However, employees have often been using their bodies in the same positions and postures for years without knowing that certain body movements are more harmful than others. A lack of basic body management skills caused innocent, frequent physical stresses that over time contributed to fatigue, discomfort, pain, and injury.

The 45 and older crowd is still a vital group. Most are very receptive to learning techniques that reduce pain and discomfort. They are highly motivated to live without pain. They don’t want to just give in to the “this is the way it is going to be” mindset. Rather than viewing the aging workforce as a problem, the optimum solution is to give them the knowledge needed to stay healthy so they can remain contributors to the organization. By teaching both the “aged” as well as the “yet to be aged” how to manage their musculoskeletal health day after day, week after week, month after month, these workers will learn how to prevent pain and relieve discomfort when it does occur.

The physical stress caused by long term sustained postures or repetitive activities can be mitigated by simply knowing how to change positions, sometimes very subtly, to better share the muscle and joint workload. This includes knowing how to perform job tasks in ways that are friendlier to the body. Part of knowing how to manage your own well-being is understanding how to quickly relieve tension when it is experienced.

Buy-in is critical. Employees must make personal decisions to change behavior because it is "good" for them. Employees must come to the realization that discomfort and pain is not just the result of aging. It is the result of a lack of education of what causes our bodies to accumulate physical stress in our neck, shoulders, backs and wrists, and how to prevent and alleviate any physical stress they are feeling.

To turn the liabilities of an aging workforce into the benefits of experienced workers, consider options for educating your employees about their musculoskeletal system and how to balance out daily physical stresses.

If you would like information about services CIS onsite can provide, please contact Jim Panozzo at CIS onsite for more details (866) 298-1312 or jpanozzo@cisonsite.com.

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Think Safe!

Fireplace Safety for Your Home

Many people are unaware of the fire risks when heating their home with a fireplace or wood burning stove. More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Heating fires are often due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. All home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to practice the following fire safety steps to keep those home fires safely burning.

Make sure your chimney or wood stove is cleaned and inspected every year. A buildup of creosote is a major cause of home fires.
Clear the area around the hearth. Make sure there are no flammable items close to the fireplace or wood burning stove.
Use a metal mesh screen when using your fireplace; never leave glass doors closed when a fire is burning.
Never restrict air supply to fireplaces or stoves; this could increase buildup of creosote.
Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
Do not burn trash or cardboard in a fireplace or stove.
Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup.
Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
Install fire alarms on every floor and inspect them monthly. Smoke detector batteries need to be changed at least once a year.

For more information on fire safety, visit: www.usfa.dhs.gov.

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Our programs assist employers in reducing their OSHA recordables and Worker’s Compensation claims, cost and injuries. We offer a variety of customized programs to fit each employer’s unique needs.

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Our mobile therapists come directly to your facility, by treating the worker onsite. the therapist can directly observe the physical demands of the worker’s job and design a treatment program that specifically addresses these demands.

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Our case managers work with employers and insurance companies to proactively manage the care of an injured worker through the entire case management process from injury to return to gainful employment.

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