Injury Prevention and Injury
Management
A system of processes that targets
workplace physical injury reduction
Workplace injuries are at least a
50 Billion dollar
annual problem in Australia
Work Safe Australia 2008
near ZERO - Master Documentation
nearZERO -
Injury Prevention and Injury Management
processes build a custom management system that lowers
the risk of physical injury in a work place
Hence the overall cost to the Employer and Insurer is tightly
managed and contained
The main aim of the nearZERO approach is simply to enable
workers to sustain their employment tasks at maximum physical
efficiency
If an injury does occur or develop then a comprehensive
management system is already in place
nearZERO processes produce a system that:
Incorporates existing health, safety and wellbeing programs
Focuses directly on each individual worker’s functional capability
Matches ability to the inherent requirements of tasks
Roles to be played
In a successfully working nearZERO system three key roles are
well defined and performed:
o
The nearZERO Workplace Co-ordinator (internal)
o
The nearZERO Project Consultant (external)
o
The nearZERO Technical Advisor (human movement expertise)
In a nearZERO system all Jobs:
o
Have been assessed for risks to a worker’s body (Physical
Demand Assessment – PDA)
o
A functional (screening) test for every job has been designed
o
Every worker’s functional results are considered against their
job’s PDA
Every worker for their job will have:
o
A unique Risk Profile describing their physical capacity
o
Risk Points assigned according to their functional test results
o
The opportunity to lower their Total Risk Points by improving
their physical profile
Using the nearZERO points system all workers are
assigned an overall category of risk for their job:
o
Lower risk of injury
o
Medium risk of injury
o
Higher risk of injury
o
Remediation required
o
Conditional (new applicants)
For Effective Management:
o
The employer’s information system stores the results
o
The personal Risk Rating is discussed with workers
o
Workers are given assistance to improve their rating*
* Data exists for regular management reporting of company wide and individual risk levels
Targeted Interventions
Three types of risk lowering interventions are delivered:
o
Global: identified needs for a whole section of workers
o
Sub Group: small groups of workers with common needs
o
Individual: the needs are specifically known and unique
Injury Management:
Minor injury recovery can often be effectively guided by the
nearZERO Technical Advisor and local medical expertise
Major injury recovery may require external rehabilitation
expertise in a coordinated return to work plan
External Rehabilitation:
The nearZERO Project Consultant has access to an Expert
Rehabilitation Panel drawn from number of disciplines and able
to work nationally
The Project Consultant may assist the nearZERO Workplace Coordinator to ensure progress in rehabilitation delivery
Maintaining the System
Once the system is in place (Installation Phase complete) the
system’s integrity must be maintained (Maintenance Phase)
Audit* and Training Processes are by this time automatically in
place
* National and International Standards referenced where applicable
A final but most important question -
Who are the winners in this process?
The Employer Saves:
o
Down time
- by not having to change work tasks
o
Retraining time
- by not redeploying good workers
o
Recruitment time
- by not having to replace workers
o
Management time
- lower injury rates require less management
o
Premiums
- by quantifying and lowering risk
Overall Productivity increases
The worker - Their livelihoods and health are more protected
as they know their body’s strengths and limitations. They know
how to improve their physical health and how to safely perform
their specific work tasks
Any union - The duty of care of their members increases. The
facts and not just conjecture are “on the table” at any time
Any Insurer - has very accurate information, including the
nearZERO risk points system and PDAs, giving more control over
all aspects of insuring and claims management
Any Medical Provider has their job made easier as they have
access to a worker’s Risk Profile and workplace PDA
In Summary:
The Employer has cost effective and active management of
workers physical performance of their jobs.
Bottom Line:
Productivity and Profitability Improved
Cost Benefit*
typically 6 to 10 times initial outlay
Dependent on level of internal expertise
nearZERO builds on existing internal capacity
*