Prevention and Recovery From Workplace Injuries
Work plays an important role in our lives. Having secure employment offers stability, improves mental and often physical wellbeing, provides social interaction, purpose and fulfilment. In addition to these personal benefits, your role in the workforce supports your community and Australia’s economy and growth. A workplace injury can greatly impact physical, financial, social, mental and general health. Below, we outline the importance of prevention and recovery from workplace injuries.
Preventing workplace injuries is the responsibility of employers and their employees. In a work environment that requires manual activities or the use of equipment, training and preventive measures are essential. The most common settings where extra precautions are required include construction or natural resources sites, factories and jobs where heavy machinery is operated.
Employers in all other settings should still consider the safety of their employee’s environment. Consider the following. Do our staff have to lift heavy objects or use ladders? Do they take sufficient breaks and have adequate equipment such as a supportive desk chair? Do they know the safety procedures at their place of work? Creating a safer, more desirable environment for staff may also improve employee retention, job satisfaction and task performance.
Ways to reduce the risks of manual handling based injuries include creating automated processes, rotating shifts, employing more staff members and providing comprehensive training and development.
Employees also have a role in ensuring they stay healthy and safe at work. Unhealthy habits outside of work can greatly impact an employee’s ability to complete their job tasks. These include smoking, lack of exercise or an unhealthy diet. Employees that complete repetitive actions, particularly production line workers in factories can often experience imbalance and pain due to only activating certain muscle groups. Further, in sedentary roles, back pain or neck pain is common and can be prevented by physiotherapy programs and regular exercise.
While these measures are essential and greatly contribute greatly to prevention, workplace injuries unfortunately still occur. Getting back to work after an injury can be challenging and frustrating. Physiotherapy is a vital aspect of workplace injury recovery, improving your body’s strength, flexibility and mobility.
Are you looking for an experienced physiotherapist to guide you through workplace injury recovery? The team at Northern Districts Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic implement personalised treatment plans to ensure you are ready to return to work. Book your initial appointment today by calling (02) 9874 8410 during business hours or 24/7 via our Online Booking Platform.
