Would your business like to reduce musculoskeletal claims and injuries? A&L Windows and Doors did it in just 18 months. Here's how:
A&L Windows are a leader within the window and door manufacturing industry. Today A&L supplies windows to builders in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania and employs more than 800 workers nationally.
Whilst experiencing significant growth, the business was also experiencing increasing lost time injuries, an increasing workers’ compensation premium and a poor injury management culture.
To address this they approached workplace health consultancy Employ Health to develop a national health and injury prevention strategy.
The strategy used onsite physiotherapy and systematic processes to manage worker health, workplace and also task risk.
A pilot program was conducted at the QLD A&L Windows site in Stapylton. The success of the pilot saw the program expanded to the A&L Dandenong facility in August 2014.
“A&L aspires to be known as a safe workplace that values the health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce,” said State Manager Amy Pierson. “We recognized the need for a national solution to revolutionise the way we managed workplace health. Employ Health was able to provide a structured system based solution that was specifically tailored to our needs.”
Employ Health Physiotherapists are onsite twice per week and provide early intervention physiotherapy and exercise rehabilitation in the A&L Health & Wellness Centre. They also conduct task and ergonomic assessments, risk assessments, manual handling training, dynamic stretching programs and health and wellness assessments.
“In the first 18 months of the program we saw a 63% reduction in musculoskeletal injury claims and an 89% decrease in total musculoskeletal claim costs. During this time our business has experienced significant growth,” said Amy.
Employ Health Director, Oliver Wilhelm, said A&L Windows are now set up to address the health risks present in the workplace.
“The true risk for workplace injury lies in the interaction between the worker, the workplace and the task, and without addressing all components in a systematic way, the outcomes will always be limited,” he said.
Dr. Wilhelm, a qualified physiotherapist, chiropractor and lawyer, believes businesses that are prepared to invest in the health of their employees can create enduring safety cultures.
“Investing in the health of your workforce is a smart business decision and may ultimately lead to your competitive edge,” he said.
To find out how your business can reduce musculoskeletal claims and injuries CLICK HERE.
