Work Smart - Work Safe
Preventing Injuries Main Goal of Therapists

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BY ANNA WILSON
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE

VALDESE - In these days of spiraling insurance costs, many industries as well as individuals are looking for ways to reduce costs.

One way is through the Industrial Medicine Therapy program at Blue Ridge HealthCare, where certified therapists will visit the job-site to evaluate workstations or help employees who are experiencing pain while doing their job.

Sandy Lonon, COTA, is a certified worksite assessment specialist. She describes her job as “Problem Solving 101.” “I look for beginnings of problems,” she said. “I want to work with the person who says, ‘It hurts when I do this.’”

Lonon works closely with Anthony Vance, PT, who is certified in Functional Capacity Evaluations - figuring out how much a person can do physically - and work screens - pre-employment evaluations. “We want to prevent injuries,” Lonon said. “We want to help people when they first experience discomfort.”

Instead, many employees will wait until the discomfort has turned into real pain and the only solution is surgery, which means more expensive insurance payouts and possible workman’s compensation pay.

If an industry contracts with Blue Ridge HealthCare for the program, one of Lonon’s first tasks will be to visit the workplace to get a feel of how the company works and what it expects its employees to do.

“I work with plant nurses, safety managers or human resources directors to identify potential problems or talk with people who already have problems,” she said.

She starts by giving the employees helpful exercises, lightweight supports if needed or getting them to switch jobs is possible. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of rearranging a workstation.

“If I go back the next week and that person is still having problems, then we may recommend the company to send the employee to a doctor,” she said. “If we can’t fix it with stretching, first aid or other methods, then we need a doctor.”

For instance, she once treated a man working at a local industry whose job it was to score a hot metal sheet with a knife. He had pain in his wrist. “I took the knife, changed the handle design where it was upright and he didn’t have any pain,” she said. “And all it took was a piece of splinting material and 15 minutes.”

That’s why she calls her job Problem Solving 101.

“Before, all we did was get them better and send them back to work,” she said. “There were no preventative measures. Now, in addition to helping an employee have a successful, safe return to work after an injury, we’re also helping prevent those injuries.”

And these preventive measures can end up saving industries money, especially if Lonon and her team catch a potential problem early enough so the employee doesn’t have to have surgery or even a doctor visit.

“If we can turn around something when it’s in the inflammation stage - such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel, elbow tendonitis - and catch it when it first starts happening, then we can tell the person what activities they need to modify at work and at home,” Lonon said.

“We also tell them what they need to watch for so it doesn’t get worse,” she added. “If it doesn’t get better, once again, we may advise the plant nurse to get the person medical attention. We don’t want them waiting a year so that surgery is the only answer.”

But, she emphasizes, she’s not a nurse and she’s not practicing medicine. “I’m just nudging them in the direction they need to go to be able to do their job without pain,” she said.

In educating employees on possible job risks, Lonon also encourages them to adapt these principles for home use. Many gardening tools or knives used at home can be modified with foam or pipe insulation.

“You’re seeing this more and more in hardware stores,” she said. “Tools now come with padded grips or curved handles. We also see it in the automotive industry where just about everything in a car is adjustable for the comfort of the driver.”

But she realizes adjustability can mean more expensive. “I try to do economical fixes,” she said. “I’m not an engineer. I’m not going to come in and say you need to redo that machine or redesign the plant. I’m looking for practical, quick fixes that will keep an employee from experiencing pain or being injured.”

Part of the preventative measures also includes a work screening. Several of Burke County’s larger industries send potential employees to Blue Ridge HealthCare for assessment.

“Sandy will visit the worksite to see what the employee will be doing,” Vance said. “She’ll find out what they are required to do - lifting, bending, turning.”

The two will then come up with a 30-minute program of activities simulating those job requirements. “I can make boxes the same weight as they’ll be using on the job for them to use during the activity,” he said. “Or measure the height they will be lifting.”

Vance evaluates strength, range of motion and flexibility.

“If a person can’t do the job activity 20 straight times with no problem, they won’t be able to do it for eight hours a day,” he said. “I just tell them that maybe this job is not for them.”

While it can keep down workmen’s compensation claims, it’s most beneficial to the employee, keeping them from being injured in the first place.

Part of the appeal in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s program is experience. Lonon has been in the field for 15 years and Vance for three. Both are certified in different areas and work together as a team with other therapists and physicians. And the program is reasonably priced.

“It’s probably the equivalent of one doctor’s visit,” Lonon said. “If we can keep the employee out of the medical system and prevent them from having lost time, then we’ve met our goal.”

ANNA WILSON is a writer and graphic artist in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Marketing and Public Relations Department.

On-Site Preventative Services

Job Analysis: The team creates functional job descriptions, which are assessed for the physical demands of a specific task. The analysis is personalized using objective and subjective data supplied by the employee and employer.

Ergonomic and Safety Evaluations: The team conducts a tour of the facility to observe potential risk factors. It can be a one-time visit or contracted on a weekly or monthly basis. Lonon tells about the time she was asked to find out why front-line employees were experiencing wrist, arm and shoulder problems. She found out the built-in desks were about two inches too high and each employee needed foam wrist guards. “We would like to look at the workplace before you buy furniture or new chairs,” she said. “You don’t buy an office chair for the color. You buy it because it fits you. It needs to be adjustable for the worker.”

Early Intervention: The team completes a brief screen for the employee who is beginning to experience discomfort that may be exacerbated by work tasks. They then recommend worksite changes and/or stretching programs to help alleviate symptoms. “Most companies are open to ideas,” Lonon said. “They are interested in keeping lost time low, keeping insurance costs low and working as a team.”

Successful Return to Work: The team works with employee, employer, physician, therapist, and insurance company, to facilitate a prompt and safe return to work after an injury. “If they do have surgery or are injured, we can gear their rehab to their job so the transition is smooth,” Lonon said. “We will help the employer determine and recommend light duty tasks that will comply with physician’s orders.” She also offers job coaching. “If a person is still uneasy about going to work, unsure they can still do the job, I’ll go with them,” she said. “I can watch them to make sure what they’re doing is not going to re-injure them. We may have to adjust a few things at first, too, until they get their time built back up.”

Tool/Equipment Modification: Tools and equipment are assessed for proper alignment of joints and decreased risk factors (posture, force, vibrations). Modifications are recommended and/or fabricated as appropriate. As an example, Lonon has created an anti-vibration glove that is commercially produced for people who have certain nerve injuries. The glove keeps vibrations - such as hammering, mowing the lawn or trimming weeds - from aggravating the nerve. “We also do a lot with pipe insulation,” she said. “You can wrap it around a handle and make it larger so the person doesn’t have to have as tight a grip. Or it could be as simple as flipping over a trashcan and using it as a footstool. It’s not rocket science. Ergonomics is using common sense.”

Education: Classes are available at the work site in back care and safe lifting, ergonomics, safety awareness, workplace stretches, etc. “A lot of times, it is simple awareness,” Lonon said. “I tell people not to get a basket for groceries then load it up with 15 pounds of stuff. Get a cart. Then you have something to lean against and balance your weight rather than having 15 pounds pulling your shoulder, elbow and wrist.”

Industries interested in a free walk-through assessment (a $90 value) should call Sandy Lonon, COTA, at 879-7592.

Anna Wilson is a writer and graphic artist in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Marketing and Public Relations Department.

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.