What is Employer Services (And Why You Need It!)
Employer Services is a unique and growing department that specializes in helping companies create safer work environments for employees, benefiting both employers and employees by reducing injuries and cutting costs.
The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that businesses spend an average of $1,100 per injured worker.
Whether it’s a construction job or an office job, working inherently comes with risks. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (2013), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for 33% of all worker injury and illness cases.
Who is Employer Services?
Employer Services utilizes the skills of Injury Prevention Specialists, taking advantage of their vast biomechanical and orthopedic knowledge to provide the most comprehensive, knowledge backed services possible. They’re experts in their fields, and already work with a number of organizations, including the Connecticut State Police and Kamatics.
How Does Employer Services Work?
The employer services department works with company leadership to identify risk factors that contribute to their workers’ compensation costs. We provide customized plans and implementation strategies to reduce those costs, as well as decrease lost productivity, improve staff morale and retention, ultimately fostering a more safety-conscious workplace.
Our services include:
- Health and wellness and ergonomics consultation services
- Onsite OSHA first aid
- Ergonomic assessments and recommendations
- Employee wellness education (including but not limited to education on hydration, stretching, first aid training, ergonomic training)
- Functional movement screens
- Safe lift programming for healthcare workers
- “Train the Trainer” – train leadership to train their employees
- Workstation coaching to decrease the likelihood of an injury occurring at work
First year employee injuries make up about a third of workers’ compensation claims a year. Workstation coaching is proven to decrease that likelihood.
Why Employer Services Matters
When an employee is hurt on the job, the cost can be colossal; the company will absorb the costs of doctors’ visits, imaging, rehabilitation costs, and any surgical costs. The other factors that are often forgotten and have a significant impact to a company’s bottom line is the cost of paying the employee to miss work to attend appointments associated with the injury, covering the overtime costs for other employees to make up for the employee’s absence, and the cost of potentially hiring new employees for coverage. Imagine having to cover the costs for everything previously mentioned for 83 days per incident. That is the average number of days an injured employee is out of work from a slip, trip or fall. These costs can add up very quickly! Slips, trips, and falls cause about 23% of workplace injuries and overexertion causes about 29% of injuries. These two types of accidents typically result in musculoskeletal injury, something our trainers and therapists will help to avoid.
These onsite wellness programs are important not only to the company’s bottom line, but they are important for the employees. We treat and care for the whole employee. – how? We understand that healthy employees are not only vital for the company’s success but are also important for the employee’s success. If an employee knows they are supported at work, they are more likely to report aches and pains before they require time away from work. We also know that a supported employee has higher morale, which leads to a decrease in human error. Employer Services knows it is important to treat the ‘whole employee’ so that they can succeed in and outside of work. We are helping real people with real responsibilities.
If you’re ready to invest a safer workplace, click here to get in touch with our Employer Services department.