Turning Workers' Comp Costs
Into Sources of New Revenue —
Plug The Hole In Your Organizational Chart

Many of you receive the F.I.T. Newsletters on a regular basis. We enjoy writing them and appreciate that you read them and I look forward to continuing this free service.

We have been on the cutting edge of workplace injury prevention for 17 years now and have experienced much with regards to workers' comp and its ongoing challenges. The ever-changing world of workers' comp is in the midst of yet another change. The fact that workers' comp budgets continue to be bloated does not sit well with CFO's, especially during economic "low tides." The workers' comp evolution taking place is shifting in focus from being almost exclusively reactionary, that is: claims management, to now including a financially proactive approach of targeting the more upstream employee physical behaviors causing the claims in the first place. As researchers report from around the 50 states that the medical costs per claim are rising, CFO's have less money to spend on workers' comp and less financial tolerance to allow claims to happen willy-nilly.

Many employers may not fully realize that workers' comp is a system that does not have a claims prevention component. In fact, did you know that very few "organizational charts" even have a position for the prevention of costly claims? It is a hole in the organization that costs employers thousands and millions of dollars per annum on claims that would be otherwise prevented. Look at your budget. Any money earmarked to prevent expensive claims? Safety professionals are often far too busy keeping up with compliance issues and don't have the wherewithal to vigilantly attack -- head on -- injuries, particularly the expensive and ubiquitous back claims. Workers' Comp departments are on the never-winning treadmill--managing existing claim after claim... An organization with significant workers' comp costs, particularly driven by sprain/strain injuries could quickly turn their workers' comp costs into a profit center.

One of our clients recently shared that for every dollar they have invested in our injury prevention programs they are getting a 33% return. Where else can you get a 33% return on your money today and keep your employees happy and producing?

 
How do you do that? That's what we have been doing for over 15 years! F.I.T.'s existing and recently announced new injury prevention services are available to you. Each one is aimed at preventing your most costly claims -- back injuries and other sprain/strains. And as a bonus your employees will very much appreciate it!

The F.I.T. programs available to employers are as follows:

Backsafe®: Backsafe is an injury prevention training breakthrough that addresses blue-collar type job classifications. Hands-on, practical training modules are customized specifically for each job description group. The training includes components of biomechanics, stretching, and the "Backsafe Obstacle Course" that enables employees to practice the Backsafe principles as they apply to their specific job duties. A change in employees' physical behavior is the end product of this training.

Backsafe is available as a one-time training; a 3-year option that includes the initial implementation; Supervisor Reinforcement Module; and short refresher workshops.

Training can be provided through F.I.T.'s 1000 Injury Prevention Specialists or via the Backsafe Train-the-Trainer Module. Licensing Agreements are an option for larger organizations.

Sittingsafe®: Sittingsafe is a practical hands-on ergonomic training program for office workers, lab personnel and those in manufacturing that perform their duties while seated. The keynote to this ergonomic training is that each employee gets to immediately "feel" each ergonomic principle that is taught. This ensures that every attendee physically benefits from personalized ergonomic adjustments and is henceforth able to adjust any workstation ideally for their own body. Moreover, a customized stretching routine is taught and practiced by each employee to ensure all attendees understand the full health benefits of stretching away accumulated stress. This training has been described as "life changing" by managers and office workers who silently or otherwise suffer from computer related discomfort.

Training is available through F.I.T.'s 1000 Injury Prevention Specialists or the Sittingsafe Train-the-Trainer Module.

Ergonomic Evaluations: One of F.I.T.'s 1000 Injury Prevention Specialists works one-on-one with office workers, bank tellers, lab workers, who are experiencing pain or discomfort due to their existing ergonomic environment. Training, adjustments, and recommendations are made and documented via the comprehensive F.I.T. Ergonomic Evaluation Report and Recommendations.

Return-to-Work Module: Don't send previously injured workers' back to work without training them on how to specifically perform their day-to-day job tasks. An F.I.T. Injury Prevention Specialist will study the job description and its physical requirements and then work one-on-one with the employee returning to work to ensure that they know how to safely physically conduct their job duties. The training is highly practical in nature and takes into consideration any physical limitations of the employee.

Permanent On-Site Injury Prevention Specialists: In some areas of the country we can now place one of our certified Injury Prevention Specialists full-time in your organization. Their role will be to stop sprain/strain injuries, discover causative factors and to help mitigate contributing risks to injuries.

Speaking Engagements: F.I.T. Principles are available to speak at conferences and industry annual meetings. Sessions are highly interactive and entertaining. References available upon request.

We very much appreciate your continued loyalty to F.I.T.

 
We look forward to helping you to "Prevent Tomorrow's Injuries Today," right now!

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