Raven Hill Certified Hand Therapy Occupational Therapy Downeast Maine 04605

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is good business.

Ergonomics is the practice of making tools and work places fit people. All too frequently people are expected to fit themselves to their tools instead of the other way around, and overuse injuries are a common result. Injuries to the back in particular are considered an epidemic in the United States, costing billions of dollars annually. Other familiar workplace injuries are carpal tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis (more familiar to most as tennis elbow) and the painful thumb condition known as deQuervain's syndrome. Each of these injuries can be expensive in terms of pain, employee dissatisfaction, lost time and productivity. All of these overuse injuries, and the costs associated with them, are avoidable!

The federal government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calls overuse injuries experienced on the job musculoskeletal injuries. Employers who have a sufficient number of reported injuries to come to the attention of this agency have been required to establish formal remedial and preventive programs in order to avoid penalties. Remember: if you think that OSHA is a small town in Wisconsin, you're already in trouble.

Raven Hill Integrated Therapies is experienced not only in treating overuse injuries in the clinic, but in helping to prevent their occurrence in the first place. We are able to assist businesses in the creation of preventive programs which can include a comprehensive survey of work centers for risk factors, specific recommendations for workspace physical configuration, appropriate modifications to tools, direct employee education and the creation of documentation of an employer's proactive interest in preventing musculoskeletal injuries. These services can be performed for a single employee, or as a business-wide intervention.

Direct financial benefits to an employer include reduced absenteeism, avoidance of worker's compensation expenses (and lowered insurance premiums), maintained or enhanced productivity and increased employee satisfaction. Additional costs, such as recruitment of replacement or temporary workers, are also avoided.

Ergonomics saves money.