Athletic trainers have traditionally worked in an athletic environment, but the last two decades have seen the profession grow and evolve into the industrial setting.
Companies like DuPont, Schneider Electric, General Motors, Grainger and countless others have utilized Athletic Trainers on the production line and shop floor to prevent injuries and promote the health of employees.
With a growing number of companies using Athletic Trainers as an extension of their OHS team, you might be wondering whether or not your facility would benefit from such a partnership.
But first, what exactly is an Athletic Trainer?
Meet the Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) – Your Partner in Safety & Health
According to the National Athletic Training Association (NATA):
“Athletic trainers are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize patient and client activity and participation in athletics, work and life. The practice of athletic training encompasses the prevention, examination and diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of emergent, acute, sub-acute, and chronic neuromusculoskeletal conditions and certain medical conditions in order to minimize subsequent impairments, functional limitations, disability, and societal limitations.”
In more simple terms, Athletic Trainers are one-stop health care providers from injury prevention and wellness promotion through rehab and recovery from an injury.
Their education covers many areas of anatomy, nutrition and physiology and they must hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in athletic training and pass an examination by the Board of Certification to qualify as an ATC.
With expertise in both injury prevention and treatment, Athletic Trainers provide tremendous value in many work environments and are the perfect partner for your OHS team.
Five Reasons an Athletic Trainer Deserves a Spot on Your OHS Team
1. Athletic Trainers are trained specifically in injury prevention. From the football field to the shop floor, ATC’s are trained to think prevention first. They’re capable of understanding and applying prevention principles in a variety of settings. Is it your goal to prevent injuries at your facility? Adding an Athletic Trainer to your team provides you with a dedicated injury prevention specialist for your facility.
2. Athletic Trainers have unique knowledge of the human body’s capabilities and limitations. This kind of human performance expertise provides you with an “eye” to see both problem areas and improvement opportunities. Because identifying and reducing risk factors in the workplace is an important part of workplace injury prevention, an Athletic Trainer’s “eye” can add tremendous value to your OHS process.
3. Athletic Trainers provide personalized attention to employees. When a facility has an Athletic Trainer on-site, employees have access to face-to-face coaching for their injury prevention and wellness needs. And they love it. Personalized attention to their unique health concerns, interests and goals wins over employees and gains their support which in turn creates a positive safety and wellness culture for your facility.
4. Athletic Trainers are able to educate and train employees on prevention and wellness. Education and training is deeply rooted in the Athletic Training curriculum and certification process. Because human performance revolves around humans and the way they use their bodies to accomplish tasks, educating, training and motivating people is a core component of the Athletic Trainer’s skill set.
5. Athletic Trainers help people get back to 100% health faster. In addition to their skills as prevention specialists, Athletic Trainers are also trained in rehabilitation and recovery from injuries. Providing employees that are returning to work after an injury with an on-site Athletic Trainer can speed up recovery time and effectiveness.
Workplace Injury Prevention & Wellness with an Athletic Trainer
To this point, we’ve covered the skills and expertise Athletic Trainers possess that easily translate to the workplace. But how can they specifically benefit your situation?
At Ergonomics Plus, we provide our clients with an onsite Athletic Trainer to implement our ergonomics and MSD prevention process. Here are three elements of the process where the skills and expertise of an ATC really shine.
Early Intervention: When employees recognize they are experiencing fatigue and discomfort (early warning signs of MSD), they are encouraged to report it. Once the issue is reported, the Athletic Trainer consults with the employee and works with them to develop a self-care strategy to return them to optimal health and high performance.
Education and training: Educated decisions and behaviors require education. Athletic Trainers are able to educate employees on how to use their bodies to perform their job in the most efficient and productive way possible.
Ergonomics improvement process: When Athletic Trainers are trained in ergonomics, they become even more valuable in the workplace setting. An ergonomics improvement process managed by an ATC reduces injury risk and improves workstation efficiency and productivity.
Athletic Trainers Demonstrate an Impressive Return on Investment
I hope I’ve communicated the value an Athletic Trainer can provide in the workplace setting well enough that you’re contemplating adding an ATC to your health and safety team. If so, you might be wondering how you can justify the cost of adding another member to your team.
The good news is that the value far outweighs the cost and there is a clear business case for ATC’s in the workplace.
The NATA conducted a national survey of industrial companies that utilize the services of an athletic trainer.
Results of the study showed:
100% of the companies reported the athletic trainer provides a favorable return-on-investment (ROI).
Of the above companies that tracked a specific ROI amount:
- 30% indicated the ROI was at least $7/employee per $1 invested
- 83% indicated the ROI was more than $3/employee per $1 invested
- 94% of companies indicated the severity of injuries had decreased by at least 25%
- 68% of the companies indicated that the certified athletic trainer helped to decrease restricted workdays and workers’ compensation claims for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) by more than 25%
- 50% of companies reported that the number of injuries decreased by at least 50%
- 46% of the companies that provided on-site physical rehabilitation indicated that health care costs had decreased by more than 50%
(Our own findings validate these results. For more cost-reduction data and client success stories, click here to visit our results page.)
Learn More About Workplace Athletic Trainers
Are you interested in having an Athletic Trainer on your health and safety team?
All great relationships start with a conversation, and we’d love to have one with you. We’re passionate about enhancing human performance for our clients and their employees. If that sounds like a partnership worth having, let’s get started.
