We have experience and expertise in designing pre-employment physical screening and tailor testing to the associated job demands. We provide a risk based profile so that you can make an informed employment decision. We communicate our decision making such that as an employer you are involved!

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Process

• Understanding the job role and your business
• Medical and injury history
• Musculoskeletal assessment
• Eyesight screening
• Hearing screening
• Urine drug screening
• Postural tolerances
• Lifting, Carrying, Pulling, Pushing
• Job specific assessments including climbing into/ out truck cabins, ladders

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Our Report will include:

• Executive summary documenting outcomes of all tests
• How these results impact on tasks and job roles
• Risk profile (Low; medium; high) for the job role
• Explanation in terms of likelihood and consequence
• Risk reduction strategies
• Other recommendations

Have you ensured that your employee has seen a doctor?

• This doesn’t mean having to start a claim if the employee doesn’t want to
• Ideally your Rehabilitation and Return To Work Coordinator (RRTWC) should coordinate this, arrange the transport and attend the appointment if the employee if the employee agrees. RRTWC should reassure worker, explain the Return to Work process, facilitate necessary medical appointments and be involved from the time of injury?
  

Ergofix has practical solutions to workplace injuries!

• Ergofix has the experience and skill to help you manage workplace injuries.
• We can provide practical and effective solutions to mitigate your losses.
• In addition to our experienced Physiotherapy services for assessment and treatment of the injury, we provide Occupational Health expertise to minimise the impact of the injury on your business.
• In 2012 we were proud recipients of a prestigious award from Q-Comp for our innovative rehabilitation services.

Ergofix Physiotherapy services include:

Accurate assessment of injuriesand rehabilitation planning to fast track recovery
Comprehensive and experienced treatment for optimal recovery
Communication with stakeholders including Workplace management and supervisors, treating doctors, Rehabilitation and Return to Work Co-ordinators (RRTWC), Insurers.

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ALL workers come with their own personal risk profile and not every BODY is fit for every TASK!

Ergofix’s Functional Pre-employment Screening works by identifying mismatch between work tasks and worker ability so you can manage risk.

Our risk management approach to Pre-Employment Screening compares the physical capability of a job applicant to physical demands of a proposed role (or set of tasks). We then provides a risk profile for that applicant with respect to the actual physical demands of the specified role and provide risk reduction strategies where appropriate. The result is confidence in the physical appropriateness of the job-placement process and mitigation of manual tasks risk.

David and Louise Rose both have post graduate qualifications in Ergonomics. We are experts in assessing workplaces and job demands and are innovative in designing functional testing to replicate those demands.

Our point of difference:

• Targeted to specific job roles
• Job Specific testing with real on-the-job equipment

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Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) uses a series of standardised tests to determine the physical capabilities (and limitations) of a worker, and thereby determine that individual’s safe capacity for work or specific set of activities.

FCEs are most useful when used in conjunction with Worksite Assessments.

FCE’s are objective and recognised assessments, predominately used to:

• Determine an individual’s safe physical capabilities
• Establish and monitor rehabilitation goals
• Facilitate return to work process
• Match individuals to existing job roles or new potential roles
• Understand an individual's risk profile with respect to a specific task, group of tasks or job role

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Ergonomic analysis of work tasks.

It is commonly performed with consideration of an individual worker, their normal work duties and possible alternative work duties. It is an important part of an occupational rehabilitation program and can assist in the development of a return to work program.

Worksite Assessment is appropriate when a worker is:

• reporting pain or discomfort at work
• changing job roles there are concerns about their physical suitability for the tasks required
• changing job roles there are concerns about their physical suitability for the tasks required
• undertaking work training or participating in a return to work program after injury
• returning to a physically demanding role after an extended break, e.g. prolonged illness, extended leave or lighter work role

Worksite Assessment will result in:

• Recommendations to assist in safely maintaining an “at-risk” worker in the workplace
• Preventative strategies to optimise outcomes and mitigate risks
• Detailed explanation of assessment outcomes to the client/ employer
• Provision of a written report which is distributed to key parties
• Consultation with the treating Doctor and Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRTWC) regarding suitable duties

A relationship exists between musculoskeletal disorders and manual task risk factors of prolonged exposure to forceful, exertions, awkward and static postures, vibration, and repetitive movements.  Understanding how these risk factors interact is key to the analysis and development of controls that not only significantly reduce or eliminate the risk of injury, but can also enable tasks to be designed that improve worker performance and health via activities that can be considered to be healthy occupational exercise.

The participative Ergonomic process

• Site visit to understand and analyse hazardous manual tasks
• Quantifying the acute and cumulative risk
• Development of Risk profiles for each task
• Development of controls via a participative ergonomic approach involving workers, supervisors, management
• Implementation of controls targeted at the root cause of the issue
• Calculation of % of risk reduction achieved, productivity gain and return on investment
• Monitoring and reviewing
• Documentation and communication and learnings for future projects

Contact David to discuss how we can help your business implement a comprehensive manual task risk management framework in your business.

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FAQ: should we be doing manual handling training?

Very simply... Manual handling training does not work!!

Finally regulators are starting to recognise what we have known and have been practising for years. Here is a statement from QLD Worksafe... "Suitable training must be provided about hazardous manual tasks (HMT)".

Lifting technique training (e.g. bend your knees, keep your back straight) is not suitable HMT training and does not comply with legislation for HMT training and must not be used as the sole way of controlling the risk of sprain and strain injuries.

Ask David how we can help your business manage the risks associated with manual tasks for your workforce.

Coming soon to Ergofix!