Case History

A research facility with only limited occupational health and safety and injury management systems had been experiencing a rise in lost time injuries over a 2 year period. In particular the six employees in the sterilisation and decontamination area had all been injured and off work at different times in the past 12 months and, consequently, staff morale was low. One staff member remained off work with a serious injury to her right shoulder.

Our Approach

After meeting with individual employees we completed a thorough workplace assessment to identify existing work practices, highlight potential hazards, evaluate the risks associated with those hazards and recommended appropriate intervention measures.

Our initial assessment identified that the loading and unloading of the glass sterilisation machine involved significant manual handling risks. We were therefore able to modify the workflow in the area to reduce potential risks including adapting the machine and providing appropriate moving and handling equipment. Staff were trained in Occupational Health and Safety Policy and Procedures in line with the current legal obligations and in appropriate manual handling techniques. Staff were also encouraged to take an active role in injury prevention by forming a health and safety committee. This committee was actively supported by the businesses management who also endorsed the formulation of effective injury and risk management strategies.

Our consultants were also utilised for injury management services in returning the remaining injured employee back to work. Regular meetings were held between the employer, employee and our case manager to explore ways in which the employee could be accommodated in her previous role. An ergonomic assessment was carried out and the employee’s workstation altered accordingly. A full Functional Capacity Assessment was also completed and, from this, informed recommendations were made about the employee’s tolerances for sitting, standing and walking as well as total recommended hours of work per day. The employee’s orthopaedic consultant also provided some guidelines on rehabilitation goals. A combination of these recommendations allowed us to develop an individualised, graduated return to work plan that saw the employee gradually increase her hours and responsibilities over a 10 week period, eventually returning to work full-time.

Throughout this period, our case manager continued with regular reviews to discuss’s progress and to put forward any recommendations for further adjustments to the programme.