Corporate Strategy Archives

Oct 01 Comments Off

What Employers Need to Know About OSHA’s Proposed Heat Illness Prevention Rule

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

Heat-related illnesses in the workplace—such as heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke—are serious concerns that can jeopardize worker safety and productivity. OSHA classifies these conditions as Heat-Related Illnesses, and the statistics are alarming. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), from 2011 to 2020, there were 33,890 work-related heat injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, averaging 3,389 cases annually. Furthermore, the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries reports that from 1992 to 2021, 999 U.S. workers lost their lives due to environmental heat exposure, equating to an average of 33 fatalities each year. Importantly, these conditions are entirely preventable.

Few work-related injuries and illnesses offer the opportunity for complete prevention. However, by implementing effective safety processes, providing thorough employee and management training, and actively managing environmental risks, businesses can eliminate the threat of heat stress illnesses in their workforce.

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May 08 Comments Off

Handling Stress in the Workplace

Posted by BIOKINETIX Marketing

Many employees work around the clock to manage an unrealistic workload and meet strict deadlines. No matter how good they are at what they do or how much they love it, they are bound to experience stress. Handling stress in the workplace is necessary for preventing burnout. This goal can be easily achieved by implementing […]

Mar 18 Comments Off

The Ultimate Guide to Allied Healthcare Roles in OH&S

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

Providing your employees with the proper care is a crucial part of any workplace health and safety program. However, determining which healthcare professionals are best suited for your organization’s unique needs can be a challenge. In this article, we’re exploring the diverse roles of licensed healthcare providers—Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, EMT/Paramedics, and Occupational Therapists—to give you the insights you need to make the best decisions for your organization.

Quick note: We’re focusing on licensed healthcare providers for this article, which means roles like massage therapists and nutritionists, while valuable, are outside the scope of today’s discussion.

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Oct 25 Comments Off

What Systems Thinking Reveals About Injury Causation (and Prevention)

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

Sports medicine professionals recognize that musculoskeletal injuries often result from the cumulative effects of multiple risk factors—physically demanding job tasks, an increasingly aging workforce, and daily production demands. These factors contribute to greater overall injury risk when occurring alongside behavioral risk factors such as improper body mechanics or unhealthy habits. Although we cannot always eliminate these systemic challenges, we can help by focusing on removing the modifiable behavioral risks that impact claims costs and employee well-being.

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May 25 Comments Off

Human Capital Investment in Injury Prevention Gives Businesses a Competitive Advantage

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

Business leaders often make the mistake of dismissing human capital as an expense rather than a renewable resource. A healthy and ready workforce is an undeniable asset that’s critical to operational success and is well worth the investment and resources required to maintain it.

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Jan 03 Comments Off

Break the Cycle of Rising Attrition and Injury Rates

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

This year, workers will be facing complex challenges with new variables that give rise to workplace injuries and cumulative physical stress. You may have noticed a great deal of reporting between 2020-2021 on “The Great Resignation” phenomenon, which was caused from pandemic-related decrease in production and opportunities for remote work in various fields. On the heels of this, we also saw marked increases in inflation along with a ripe job market. This created an opportunity for workforces to be highly selective regarding their employer and flexibility to move employer to employer.

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Jan 14 Comments Off

4 Ways to Prioritize Workplace Safety Training & Wellness in 2021

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

In 2020, businesses across the US responded to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing their plans for infection preparedness and response, protecting essential employees, and reducing disruption to operations. As we move forward into this new year and continue adjusting to the new normal, it is critical to ensure injury prevention and well-being initiatives remain a priority—especially in times of uncertainty.

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Mar 21 Comments Off

Proactive Intervention, Part I: Rethink Recovery

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

A three-part series on proactive intervention by BIOKINETIX

The aftermath of an occupational injury can be predictably arduous and time-consuming for all parties involved. Regardless of severity level, it is in the interest of both employer and employee to ensure they recover properly and resume their job tasks. But many return-to-work programs are stuck in a reactive cycle of poor recovery, recurrent injuries, and accumulating workers’ compensation costs.

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Feb 06 Comments Off

Yes, You Can: A Participative Approach to Occupational Health

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

The benefits of positive health behaviors, such as consistent physical activity or a balanced diet, are well documented. General knowledge dictates that one should exercise and eat plenty of leafy greens; the problem, however, seems to be getting people from “should” to “will”. Public health initiatives aside, this continues to be a particular area of concern for U.S. employers. Countless occupational health studies have shown that only a small percentage of working-age Americans incorporate these behaviors into their lifestyle. In a particularly revealing observation, one researcher described workers as “influenced by feelings of personal wellbeing rather than by health outcomes,” and that “health was viewed as a predetermined destiny that was outside the individual’s personal control [1].”

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Dec 14 Comments Off

What Makes an Occupational Wellness Program Effective?

Posted by Jon F. Kabance, RKT

As chronic health and musculoskeletal conditions continue to grow, today’s workforce faces formidable barriers to productivity and well-being. Over two-thirds of U.S. companies have attempted to address this phenomenon by investing in occupational wellness programs. Some focus solely on individual initiatives, such as weight loss or smoking cessation, while others provide health screening. Few, however, are sustainable. The RAND Workplace Wellness Programs Study found that on average, wellness programs only save $1.50 per employer-invested dollar. While certain programs deliver more favorable results—such as BIOKINETIX, with an average ROI of 6 to 1—they remain statistical outliers. With so much at risk, why do most wellness programs yield relatively low returns?

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A three-part series on proactive intervention by BIOKINETIX

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