In last week’s post we covered the basic tactical elements of a workplace athlete health promotion program.
You might be wondering how you can execute these tactical elements on top of your existing workload. Or you might be wondering who on your team is qualified to execute workplace athlete health promotion.
The solution you’re looking for is likely an on-site athletic trainer, or what we call an injury prevention specialist.
So, how can you benefit from partnering with an on-site athletic trainer?
A workplace athletic trainer saves you time
Most safety leaders we talk to are stretched for time. Adding the elements of a world-class MSD prevention process into their daily routine would require them to clone themselves to get it all done. Adding an athletic trainer to the team solves that problem by providing additional support to your MSD prevention process.
The other time-saving benefit of having an on-site athletic trainer on your team is that they already have expertise you would have to be trained on. Sometimes it just makes more sense to have an already-qualified expert help you.
A workplace athletic trainer saves you money
MSDs are common and costly injuries. Just one MSD could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Instituting a world-class MSD prevention process led by an athletic trainer can substantially reduce MSD injuries and their related costs.
In many cases, just preventing one or two MSDs can cover the cost of adding an athletic trainer to your team. An internal study of Ergonomics Plus clients revealed a 78% decrease in costs related to MSDs in just four years of implementing the program. How much money could you save your company if you reduce MSD-related costs by 78%?
A workplace athletic trainer engages your people
A world-class MSD prevention process engages people throughout the organization. Having an athletic trainer conduct one-to-one engagements with your people out on the floor each week is a highly effective way to involve your people in the MSD prevention process. These one-to-one engagements build trust, credibility and momentum for your MSD prevention process.
A workplace athletic trainer brings unique expertise
Adding an athletic trainer to your team brings unique expertise that you won’t find anywhere else. Athletic trainers are the only allied healthcare professional with a primary focus on preventative healthcare.
Athletic trainers are taught to keep athletes performing on the field. Their entire education and skillset is geared toward keeping people healthy and performing well. A person with this kind of expertise is exactly who needs to be leading your MSD prevention efforts.
A workplace athletic trainer builds a meaningful safety culture
Providing your people with an on-site athletic trainer shows that you truly care for them. The athletic trainer is a regular reminder that the company is looking out for the welfare of their people. Serving as an employee advocate may be one of the most important roles an athletic trainer can serve in the occupational setting. Employees trust the certified athletic trainer, and this can be beneficial as the athletic trainer serves as a liaison between the employee and management.
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