A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing an Industrial Athlete Program

Overview

We know that musculoskeletal disorders develop over the course of time as the result of exposure to a combination of individual and work-related risk factors. This means the early warning signs of these injuries are present well before an MSD develops to the point of pain and lost function requiring medical treatment. So, the early warning signs of the next 2-3 years’ worth of MSDs are present in your workforce today.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

We strongly believe that a proactive early MSD intervention strategy can be implemented to discover the early warning signs of MSD and fix the underlying causes – sooner rather than later. This is exactly what early MSD intervention does.

Let’s review five key steps to establishing an effective and sustainable early MSD intervention process.

Step 1 – Policies and Procedures

The early MSD intervention policies and procedures should adhere to federal and state guidelines, OSHA standards, HIPAA, and the American with Disabilities Act. The early MSD intervention team should have a working knowledge of both federal and state regulations as well as surveillance and recordability criteria.

Written policies, procedures, and guidelines for the early MSD intervention process should be established initially, audited regularly, and updated periodically for improvement opportunities. Policies and procedures should be instituted within a comprehensive continuous improvement management system, preferably a system already at work in your organization.

Responsibilities for setting up and managing the early MSD intervention process should be assigned and communicated. A multidisciplinary early MSD intervention team should be established under the direction of the early MSD intervention program champion. The early MSD intervention team should consult with occupational health care providers and injury prevention experts to establish guidelines and protocols for the program.

Step 2 – Awareness and Training

Management and workplace athletes need to receive training regarding the nature and preventability of MSD, strategies and prevention techniques for controlling MSD, the early warning signs of MSD, the importance of early MSD intervention, the procedure for reporting discomfort, and the injury prevention and first aid discomfort management tools that will be utilized to help them combat discomfort and prevent MSD.

The best way to manage MSD is to proactively address risk factors with MSD prevention. All employees should become familiar with the following MSD prevention tools with consistent training around these topics:

Preventive warm-up exercise
Proper lifting techniques
Job coaching on postural awareness and body mechanics
Identification of ergonomic improvement opportunities
Preventive counteractive stretching exercises
Proper resting/sleeping posture
Strengthening exercises
Fatigue recovery and sleep
Proper nutrition and hydration
Good health habits
Personal fitness and wellness

In addition, all levels of the organization should become knowledgeable regarding the early MSD intervention process and view it as an important proactive healthcare strategy.

One of the primary objectives of the management and supervisor training program is to equip front line supervisors and managers with knowledge that will help them identify individuals who might be experiencing early warning signs of MSD. Managers should learn to notice non-verbal signs of MSD and recognize that nonverbal communication will often speak even when employees will not.

The ability to notice and understand nonverbal communication is a powerful tool that can help us recognize the need for early intervention. Training programs should encourage managers and co-workers to pay close attention to body language and/or compensating movements that might indicate discomfort and diminished functional capacity. Body language indicating discomfort may include facial expressions such as wrinkling the forehead, closing the eyes tightly, rapid blinking, grasping or massaging a muscle or joint, or a stiff upper or lower body that is rigid and moving slower than normal. Stressful emotions such as crying, confusion, or annoyance can also be a red flag.

A sudden and unusual drop in work performance can also be a signal that the workplace athlete may be experiencing some excessive fatigue or discomfort. When any of these signs are observed, the manager should take a positive and proactive approach to directly ask the workplace athlete if they are experiencing any difficulty with genuine care and concern.

Step 3 – Encourage Early MSD Reporting

Obviously, the best way to encourage your workplace athletes to report early MSD discomfort is… to frequently encourage them to do so! Workplace athletes should never be discouraged from reporting discomfort with negative words or body language.

The supervisor is often in the best position to receive an employee’s early report, but employees should also feel comfortable reporting by other means as well (e.g., injury prevention specialist, group leaders, health and safety managers, human resources managers, etc.).

Managers and supervisors should frequently encourage employees to report early discomfort and MSD signs. This is about building trust and cultivating a culture that encourages workplace athletes to report early warning signs of MSD, by showing genuine care and concern for the well-being of your workplace athletes. It may take some time for management to establish or re-establish a high level of trust, especially if such reports or “complaints” have been negatively received or ignored and swept under the rug in the past. It starts at the top with leadership and managers who frequently communicate genuine concern for employee health and well-being. But it cannot begin and end with just talk – the proof is in the pudding.

Whenever managers are in front of an employee group (shift start-up or pre-shift warm-up meetings, safety meetings, all employee meetings, etc.) they should encourage early reporting by saying something like, “I hope that you feel encouraged to let us know if you are experiencing any unusual fatigue or discomfort. If not, let me encourage you right now to let me know of any excessive fatigue or discomfort that you are experiencing – sooner rather than later!”

Leadership should explore various strategies to increase the number of early MSD intervention reports from workplace athletes. Consider leveraging a workplace athlete proactive survey tool and QR code poster/handout (pictured below) to increase early reports of discomfort. Remember, the goal is to catch the issue in the discomfort stage in order to prevent the need for medical evaluation and treatment.

Step 4 – React Positively / Respond Quickly

Workplace athletes should never be discouraged from reporting discomfort with negative words or body language, and the action of management in response to a workplace athlete raising their hand is far more important than the words. Supervisors, production managers, team leads, and others should be trained to react positively and respond quickly to early reports of fatigue and discomfort. We often mention having an “over the top” positive approach with “on the hop” urgency in response to these early MSD reports.

The injury prevention specialist should be notified immediately and quickly respond to the report. Be sure to use positive body and verbal language that communicates the message “I’m really glad that you told me about this issue, we want to help you, and we’ll get you the help that you need right away.”

Step 5 – Early MSD Consultation and Follow-up

When an early report is received, the injury prevention specialist will conduct a one-on-one consultation with the workplace athlete as soon as possible – typically within the work shift but no longer than 24 hours. The goal of the early intervention consultation is to identify the contributing risk factors to the worker’s fatigue and discomfort and remove them.

This consultation should include the following:

Conduct WA Interview

Date of onset
Department / job / shift
Involved body segment
Discomfort rating
History of onset
Identify potential root causations
Determine if possibly work related
Determine non-work risk factors
Determine subjective discomfort rating
Identify difficult job tasks

Conduct Ergonomic Job Screen and Objective Ergonomic Assessments

Identify high risk tasks
Identify improvement opportunities
Implement risk factor controls

Conduct Work Methods Assessment

Review proper body mechanics & lifting techniques
Job coaching to implement best practice work methods

Conduct Work Restriction Assessment

If Workplace Athlete is experiencing minor discomfort but is fully able to perform all routine job functions, consider assigning a temporary work restriction for the purpose of preventing a more serious condition from developing. (Note: Under these conditions the case would not be recorded as a work-related injury or illness as outlined under section 1904.7(b)(4) of OSHA’s Recordkeeping Policies and Procedures Manual.)

Review & Encourage Workplace Athlete Injury Prevention Handout Info

Warm-up stretching
Counteractive (reverse) stretching
Injury prevention & wellness exercise
Proactive use of ice after activity & heat prior to activity
Proper hydration & re-hydration
Good nutrition & healthy eating habits
Vitamin supplements
Maintain good physical fitness
Proper sleeping habits

Follow-up and Reporting

The injury prevention specialist should follow up with the employee on at least a weekly basis until the early signs are resolved and the employee is returned to peak health.
Each interaction should be documented. Results of all early intervention consultations should be compiled and reported on a monthly basis. These reports should be used to identify overall trends and workplace improvement opportunities.

Early MSD Intervention Tips

Remember the old saying “They won’t care how much you know until they know how much that you care.” That is so true. It is critical that leadership shows genuine care and concern for the health and well-being of all workplace athletes. You can’t be passive about this; you need to go out of your way to show your concern. It’s mission critical to frequently and effectively verbalize and demonstrate with your actions that you care for them as a person.

To show workplace athletes (WA) that you care…

Frequently ask WA how they are doing from a physical performance standpoint.
Make sure there is a prompt response to any early report discomfort from a WA, even if it means changing your schedule and going the extra mile to accommodate them.
Tell the WA that you are thankful that they are seeking your assistance and giving you the opportunity to help them.
Look the WA in the eye and listen to everything that they have to say.
Take all the time necessary with them to investigate and fully understand all risk factors, workplace and individual factors.
Educate and motivate the WA to employ the injury prevention techniques which will help them avoid any further discomfort and prevent injury and medical treatment.
Always do what you say you are going to do. Doing what you say builds trust and confidence that you are reliable, dependable, and will always live up to your promises.
Follow-up promptly and frequently to review injury prevention information and to encourage the WA to keep up the good work – or to get back on track.
Always be on the hustle to help WA in any way you can. Always go the extra mile. Always over-deliver!

MSD Prevention Handouts

ErgoPlus has developed informational handouts outlining injury prevention techniques for some of the most common MSD. These handouts should be displayed throughout your facility and available to all workplace athletes. This should become foundational information that all workplace athletes are familiar with and can employ every day to prevent MSD. This information can also be reviewed and encouraged by the injury prevention specialist during early MSD intervention consultations.

Early MSD Intervention Flowchart

Consider creating a flowchart to guide and document the early MSD intervention process from the time of early report to resolution or referral. A sample flowchart is provided below for consideration and reference. Parameters for the process should be developed to operate under the “evaluation and first aid” umbrella as defined by OSHA, and the process should adhere to injury and illness recordability criteria. The early MSD intervention team should consult with occupational health care providers and injury prevention experts to establish guidelines and protocols for the program.

Need help?

If this sounds like a lot to take on, we’d be happy to help you get started. Just fill out the contact form here or book a meeting directly to get in touch.