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March / April 2010

Table of Contents:

1. Post Offer Screens: Hiring in a tough economy – How to make sure you hire the right employees for the job
2. Ergonomic Risk Factors: Shoulder Reach
3. Think Safe! How to care for cuts and scrapes

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Post Offer Screens

Hiring in a tough economy:
How to make sure you hire the correct employees for the job

It seems that many businesses have at least one story of someone who was recently hired that had a costly accident or injury. There is a good chance that if you look at your Worker’s Compensation logs, you will find employees with less than two years on the job account for 20% or more of your total cost and claim count. Examine it more closely, and many of these claims involve back injuries or muscle sprains and strains. As America’s economy recovers, businesses will be hiring more people to meet their service needs and production demands. Hiring individuals who are physically not capable of performing the job safely over time can result in higher worker’s compensation costs for many years.

When you hire someone, it’s often difficult to tell by looking at them if they can safely perform all aspects of the job, particularly those jobs that are very physically demanding. The Post Offer Screen (POS) is a tool that is commonly used to provide employers with the information they need to hire well. Essentially, the goal of a POS is to better match the worker to the job by determining if they can safely meet the essential physical demands of that job. It can also reduce the number of musculoskeletal injuries such as back injuries, sprains and strains, tendonitis, etc. Musculoskeletal injuries comprise the majority of workers comp claims and costs. These injuries cost US organizations $45-54 BILLION dollars a year in Work Comp costs. That is a very significant amount of money to spend on injuries that are almost all preventable. Additionally, the costs associated with these musculoskeletal types of injuries are higher than with other types of injury (i.e.: slips, trips, falls, lacerations).

So why consider implementing a POS? One reason for many organizations is to improve the retention of new hires. Companies often spend 10’s of thousands of dollars hiring and training new employees, but according to the US Department of Labor and Statistics, only half of new hires are in the job 6 months later. The majority of the other half of new hires either quit or are fired. These hiring mistakes cost employers a lot of money. For example, the cost of hiring workers at the $20,000 level is estimated to cost $40,000. These costs include wasted salary, benefits, training costs, hiring time, and wasted business opportunities. One way to minimize the costs of bad hires is to use effective post-offer screening.

Another reason to consider a POS program is as a way to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs. Up to 40% of Workers’ compensation claims are made by employees in their first year of hire. These new hires are often at greater risk for injury because they lack the physical condition necessary to meet the demands of the job for which they’ve been hired. They often over-exert themselves and use poor body mechanics to compensate for their lack of ability. This can result in an expensive, OSHA recordable injury.

A POS program may be right for your organization if:

• Significant number of employees are injured in their first year of hire, and/or
• High percentage of injuries for a particular job position or in a specific department, and/or
• High injury severity or injury cost for a particular job position
• High termination/turnover rate.

The first step to implementing an effective Post Offer Screen program is to identify the job positions you would like to include in the program. Each job position should then have a Functional Job Description developed. This job description should provide a detailed description of the physical demands of the job and include measurements of weights, heights, and distances. It should outline frequency, duration, and repetition of tasks, as well as, point out environmental conditions.

The POS should focus on the person’s ability to perform the job with or without accommodation, as well as, the person’s ability to perform the job without posing a “direct threat” to the health and safety of anyone. There are essentially 4 components of an effective POS: Medical Exam, Physical Exam, Functional Testing, and Results.

Once you have the POS created, you are ready to administer the program. First, a conditional job offer is made to the applicant. Under the ADA pre-employment medical tests can only be given after a conditional offer of employment is made. Next, everyone being hired for the job for which the POS is set-up must partake in the POS. In order to eliminate the possibility of discrimination, it is not a selective process. The applicant is scheduled with the physician and/or therapist for the screen. If the individual passes the POS, they are hired. If the individual does not pass the POS, options may include considering reasonable accommodations, alternative job placement, or the applicant is not hired. If a qualified individual with a disability is unable to perform an essential function of the job, the employer needs to explore reasonable accommodations (as defined by the ADA) for this employee to perform this activity.

Besides being a condition of hire, a POS can serve other purposes as well. For example, a POS can be used to assess the abilities of a current employee transferring into a given job position. The POS must be given to ALL employees transferring into this position. For physically demanding jobs (such as a firefighter or police officer), the POS can be used as a fit for duty assessment for all employees on a periodic basis. It can also be utilized following an on-the-job injury or prior to return to work from a non-work related absence. Job-specific training can often be easily incorporated into the POS for most positions. During the POS the therapist can instruct the new hire in safe work techniques, proper body mechanics, and appropriate stretches to perform periodically throughout the work day to improve their body’s tolerance to work. This job-specific training is especially effective if the POS is done onsite, in the real-work environment. It sets expectations for employee compliance to proper work techniques and personal accountability.

In summary, the benefits of implementing a POS program are numerous. It can result in fewer injuries – particularly among your new hires. It will reduce Workers’ Comp costs by reducing injuries, it will decrease employee turnover – you won’t be hiring worker’s that can’t meet the physical demands of the job, so you won’t have to replace them when they get injured. This can save your organization a lot of time and money. Other benefits include increased productivity – a worker who has the physical stamina to perform the job is going to be more productive than one who is struggling to keep up with the demands. Also, because you will be better matching the worker to the job, there will be improved employee morale and job satisfaction. Implementing a Post Offer Screen program is a WIN-WIN situation for both the employer and the employee.

If you would like additional information on this or 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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Ergonomic Risk Factors:

Shoulder Reach

There are many obvious safety hazards in our lives that put us at risk for injury. Things like drunk driving, drug use, or even just walking on ice in the middle of winter are all behaviors that most adults understand will increase their possibility of getting hurt. But what about the not so obvious risk factors that we expose ourselves to day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year? How we choose to use our bodies each day, greatly impacts our likelihood of experiencing a musculoskeletal type injury. This is a continuation of our series covering common risk factors that the average worker does not consider.

The next risk factor to be discussed is shoulder reach. The shoulder joint is one of the more complex joints in our body. There are many tendons converging into a relatively small space, with muscles working from many different directions to position our arms in whatever posture we use them. The commonly injured rotator cuff is part of the shoulder and is comprised of four different muscles that support and position the shoulder joint. Many shoulder injuries are not the result of a one time incident, but rather an accumulation of wear and tear over time. The amount of repetition (frequency) and force (weight) involved impacts the degree of risk associated with work tasks.

To minimize the amount of wear and tear on the shoulder, the ideal position is for the arm to remain below a 45 degree angle away from the body. This is the same whether the arm is in front of the body or out to the side of the body. Moving the arm above 45 degrees can irritate the tendons of the rotator cuff.

Keeping our arms close to our body can be crucial in reducing the fatigue and resultant wear and tear on our shoulders. Many of us have held a baby or a bowling ball at one time in our lives; these each can weigh about 10 pounds. If you hold a 10 pound weight close to your body, you can probably do so for quite a long time – there is minimal fatigue/wear and tear that occurs when your arms are positioned close to your body. However, if you were to hold that 10 pounds out away from your body, the amount of time you are able to hold it will decrease considerably. The muscles become tired more quickly, putting a much greater amount of wear and tear on the tendons of the shoulder joint. A 10 pound object held close to the body will feel like 10 pounds in terms of the amount of force on the structures of our shoulders and upper back. However, a 10 pound object held away from the body (particularly over 45 degrees) will feel like 100 pounds in terms of the amount of force and wear and tear on the structures of the shoulders and upper back.

To minimize the amount of shoulder reach that employees are performing, consider the following:

• Evaluate the height of the work surface or providing step platforms for the shorter workers.
• Consider job rotation that would reduce the amount of time a worker is performing tasks that require shoulder reach.
• Train workers about the risks associated with excessive shoulder reach.
• Encourage workers to position themselves as close to the tasks as possible, keeping their arms close to their bodies.
• When reaching forward, a golfer’s leg technique can be used to reduce the angle at the shoulder. This is a position of leaning forward with one foot planted on the floor, while the other leg is straight out behind the individual. Alternating right and left leg will help reduce wear and tear on other parts of the body. When reaching with one arm, it should be the arm on the same side as the foot that is planted (right arm, right foot planted, left leg extended back).
• Avoid twisting of the lower back and move feet when transferring objects from point A to point B. This will also facilitate keeping the arms closer to the body.

Stretching is one way to balance out the wear and tear that unavoidable shoulder reach can cause. About once every one to two hours, remember to perform some stretches for 10 seconds each. As pictured below, the tricep stretch, shoulder stretch, and shoulder pendulum are good for reducing the effects of shoulder reach.

Tricep Stretch	Shoulder Stretch	Shoulder Pendulum

 

Whether we are at work or at home, we are confronted with tasks throughout the day that may cause us to reach beyond 45 degrees at the shoulder. The biggest tool to prevent this risk factor is knowledge of both the employee and the employer.

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

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Think Safe!

How to care for cuts and scrapes

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has made treating even minor wounds more important than ever. Here’s what you should do.

Stop the bleeding. Apply firm pressure directly over the wound with a clean cloth or bandage for not less than three minutes. If blood soaks through, place another bandage on top and continue with the pressure.

Rinse. When bleeding stops, flush the wound gently with plain tap water. Soap or antiseptic solutions aren’t necessary and could damage tissue. Consider stocking your first-aid kit with a fine-tipped syringe that can direct water into the wound to rinse away dirt and debris. Or improvise with a clean plastic gag: Fill it with water, puncture a corner with a safety pin, and squeeze.

Cover. Don’t expose wounds to air until they heal and a scab forms. Bandages maintain a clean, moist environment filled with white blood cells and proteins that promote healing. Change bandages after two days or if they get wet. Paint on liquid “bandages” work well for small cuts on joints.

Use antibiotic creams sparingly. Most wounds don’t require topical antibiotics, which can be harmful. Allergic reactions occur in up to 6 percent of people who use creams that contain neomycin and in about 2 percent of those who use creams with bacitracin. And excessive use of them might contribute to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So limit antibiotic ointments to wounds that might have dirt or grit, such as “road rash” scrapes.

Watch for infection. Get medical care if you notice a foul odor, colored pus, fever, increasing tenderness or pain, or red streaks coming from the wound. Antibiotic-resistant infections are now so common that all wound infections should be tested before treatment. For wounds from bites, splinters, nails, or other rusty or dirty objects, get a tetanus shout if you haven’t had one in five years.

Recognize emergencies. Get to an emergency room if a wound is:

• Bleeding even after 5 minutes of firm pressure.
• Open, edged with badly torn skin, and won’t stay closed.
• Deep enough to expose fat (yellow), muscle (reddish-brown) or tendon (white).
• A deep puncture wound or bites from an animal or a human.
• Causing difficulty with sensation or movement.

Adopted from Consumer Reports on Health.

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