Here at CHMC, we’re great at getting your injured workers back to doing what they love as soon as possible. But, wouldn’t it be better if they weren’t injured in the first place – save your employee the pain and stress of being out of action, and save you the pain of finding other staff members to fill in while your employee recovers? It sounds like it is too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, it isnt…
Prevention is always better than cure.
So, how do you prevent these injuries? On top of making sure your workplace has protocols in place to ensure that work tasks are safe, and training to teach correct lifting or equipment use, you also need to consider your employees – can they physically cope with the demands of your workplace? At CHMC, we conduct pre-employment medical assessments (PEMs) to put your future employees to the test. These may include various health checks from the doctors, vision and cardiovascular tests, and musculoskeletal exams from the physio.
Our musculoskeletal tests ensure that your employees are physically able to perform the tasks that they will be required to do, day in day out, once they start working for you! Think about the movements you’d do working in stock at the supermarket or a factory – repetitive bending, twisting, reaching, and lifting, pushing and pulling of heavy loads! What about firefighters – carrying heavy equipment, running up and down stairs, and maneuvering through unfamiliar territories. And then there are technicians, plumbers, electricians – bending over, holding awkward positions through the day, squeezing into tight spaces…
All jobs have a risk, but with a PEM, this risk can be assessed and mitigated. We check that your potential employee has enough mobility to be bending forwards, leaning backwards and twisting as required. We’ll make sure that they have the arm strength to be lifting those boxes without injuring their shoulders, or enough core and lower limb strength and stability to prevent back injuries from their daily tasks. We’ll make sure they can kneel, squat, carry … you name it.
Remember: prevention is always better than cure. Having your employees undergo a functional assessment with a physio either on its own or combined with a PEM could prevent them from coming to see us 6 months down the track with an injury sustained at work. If you have any questions, feel free to check out our website or contact us at (02) 8865 0633 or workplacehealth@chmc.com.au.
Jenny Qian
Physiotherapist
