By Jeff Weeks

Consider the following: The national average cost to treat a musculoskeletal injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome is approximately $25,000. This estimate includes the direct medical costs associated with physicians, surgeons, therapy and medication. It also includes indirect medical costs, such as temporary and permanent disability payments, travel to and from appointments, overtime and/or staffing costs to replace that employee and losses in productivity.

Although there is no way to guarantee that your company will not incur a workers' compensation claim from a work-related injury, there are several things you can do to reduce the chances of such injuries.

Don't turn a blind eye. Don't assume that if you ignore risks in the workplace, bad things won't happen. If you are not already familiar with your business, get familiar with it.

Take time to talk to your employees and listen to their concerns. Often your employees have a wealth of knowledge regarding the work that they do and the risks, but are never given the opportunity to share. The information you gain from your employees can lead to process improvements. These improvements can reduce risk exposure for all employees.

Define your risk and take action in key areas:

• Ergonomics
• Training
• Early intervention

Implement an Ergonomics Program
What is ergonomics? Generically, ergonomics is the science of how people interact with their environment and the things within that environment.

Developing an ergonomic program promotes open communication between employees and management. Implementing an ergonomics team allows employees to feel invested in the process and will promote cooperation and teamwork among employees and management.

An effective ergonomics process provides a conduit for employees to voice concerns. The ergonomics process also defines interventions that are appropriate to address each concern and identifies actions required to resolve it. Accountability is easier to enforce when there is buy-in and participation from employees.

Remember that a successful ergonomics program is never complete. Ergonomic challenges never fully go away. New ergonomic risks appear all the time and need to be addressed quickly and efficiently.

Employee Training Program
Implement an aggressive training program that promotes prevention. Educate employees about the adverse effects of improper posture and lifting techniques. Emphasize how improper posture and poor body mechanics affect the body over a period of time. Reinforce to employees how injuries due to poor body mechanics can affect activities outside of work.

Hold employees accountable regarding proper body mechanics. Perform regular audits to assess the effectiveness of the training program. Put action plans in place for employees who do not meet the required standards. Retrain and reassess employees until they meet the standards.

Employees that voluntarily choose not to adhere to the set standards should be counseled and eventually terminated if necessary.

Practice Prevention
Create a culture that promotes prevention. Encourage employees to report musculoskeletal complaints early. Early intervention can prevent an acute/short term injury, such as a strain or sprain, from becoming chronic/long term injury. Acute injuries, if caught early, can be much less expensive to treat. If caught early, the employee is able to stay at work without restrictions and is able to stay productive. Often non-work related injuries get aggravated at work and subsequently become a recordable work-related injury.

An open door policy that allows discussion without negative consequences promotes honesty between employees and management. An early intervention program provides the opportunity to discuss complaints with the employee. Evaluate workstations for ergonomic implications and assess each employee's work practices for potential training opportunities.

Symptom management techniques can be provided to address short-term complaints. Stretching techniques may be provided that address complaints during the acute phase, but also work towards prevention once the symptoms go away.

Change does not have to occur all at once, but it does have to start. Begin with programs or projects that will be most successful. Build upon that success and continue to expand your process. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, but be sure that you learn from them and don't repeat them.

Medical providers such as occupational/physical therapists and athletic trainers are good resources to assist in the implementation of prevention programs. Work with your local medical providers or hire an outside consultant. Use of an outside consultant can have a positive effect in many ways. Most importantly it shows your employees that you care about their well-being.

Jeff Weeks is an occupational therapist and Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist and chief operations officer for Athletic & Rehabilitation Center. You can reach him at (913) 831-2721 or .