Olympic Park Wins Award For Outstanding Occupational Health

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Nicole

It’s not often that we celebrate the fact that a building was built without a single death. It should be a given. However, when it comes to safety, we have to recognise the excellent contribution made by the owners of the Olympic Park. Completed ahead of time, the Park has received an award for the Safest Olympic Stadium Build ever.

Some stats, first of all:

  • 12,500 workers helped build the Olympic Park
  • There were 62 million hours of work
  • There was an Accident Frequency Rate of 0.17 per 100,000 hours
  • The Chinese government claimed there were 6 deaths during construction of the Beijing Olympic Park

This is rightly being held as phenomenal. The Accident Frequency Rate is less than half the construction industry’s average rate. By instilling a culture of safety, teamwork and individual responsibility, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have managed to keep incidents down, and has set an example for the whole industry to follow.

The ODA focused on three areas: workplace, worker and well-being “interventions”, targeting the main health hazards faced by construction workers, and well-being initiatives that proactively promoted healthy behaviours. Backed up by a multi-disciplinary team, including nurses, physicians and a physiotherapist, the ODA provided on-site support, briefings and on-site interventions on issues as diverse as skin care and healthy eating. The ‘strong man’ contest raised awareness of upper limb disorders while poster campaigns drummed home health messages.

This proactive approach saw 114,000 clinical interventions delivered during the build period via dedicated medical facilities. Pre-employment checks were carried out, as well as safety-critical medicals, mini health checks and a walk-in treatment service was available.

What is particularly impressive about this Occupational Health delivery was that just 29% of managers and 33% of employees had no contact with the service. The majority who did use the service rated it very highly. Even better – 78% say that since working on the Olympic Park, they had made changes to their lifestyle in order to better look after their health.

What lessons can we take from the Olympic Park?

First of all – proactiveness. Proactively engage the workforce in what you are doing, and ensure that uptake of services is measured at all stages. The example set by the Olympic Park has seen a rise in health living alongside an exemplary health and safety provision because the ODA set out to prevent problems arising.

Secondly, leadership. Line managers and senior leaders should lead by example. They should champion occupational health and wellbeing services, and be clear about improving standards.

Thirdly, strategy. The ODA’s three-point plan gave the OH delivery service a strategic focus. By focusing on workplace interventions, key Health & Safety considerations and wellbeing initiatives, there was a clear, established framework for Occupational Health.

This is not just an example to the rest of the Construction industry, but to all businesses around the UK. Don’t just use Occupational Health when you have problems. Devise a strategy based around your workforce and the challenges they face, combining on and off-site delivery with wellbeing initiatives that, over time, reduce the need for referrals, reduce workplace stress and improve healthy living.

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The ABCD of Malaria protection

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Nicole

According to the WHO, the ABCD concept is:

A. Be Aware of the risk, the incubation period and the main symptoms

B. Avoid being Bitten by mosquitoes, especially between dusk and dawn

C. Take antimalarial drugs (Chemoprophylaxis) to suppress infection where appropriate

D. Immediately seek Diagnosis and treatment if a fever develops one week or more after entering an area where there is a malaria risk, and up to 3 months after departure.

For more detail on this disease, click here

So, what is Malaria?

  • Malaria is a common and life-threatening disease found in tropical and subtropical areas of over 100 countries
  • Malaria is caused by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito and can be fatal
  • An estimated 30,000 international travellers fall ill with the disease annually.

Malaria in travellers, on business or on holiday, can usually be prevented. All travellers to malarious regions should seek medical travel health advice before departing (at least 4 to 6 weeks before departure is recommended).

Where is the disease found?

Malaria is transmitted in large areas of Central and South America, Africa, Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Middle East) and a few areas of Eastern Europe and the South Pacific.

In general, the risk of contracting malaria is higher in rural areas and lower in urban areas. Often there is also a correlation to the mosquito population, with the rainy season creating stagnant pools of water where mosquitoes can breed.

For bespoke and personalised travel health advice, contact us on 0330 3303095 or complete this form and select Travel health.

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Going anywhere nice for your holidays?

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Nicole

For us Britons, the most popular holiday destinations for us are Spain, France, USA and Italy.  Closely followed by Greece, Cyprus and Portugal.

Most of us would consider ourselves as fairly well travelled and we know what to do in advance of going on holiday such as booking the flights, ordering the currency and bringing the passports.  But what about ensuring we have the right travel advice and necessary vaccinations for our chosen destinations?

Apart from potentially invalidating our travel insurance, possible health problems posed by travel include:

  • Diseases that we would not expect to encounter in our own country but which are prevalent in others e.g. yellow fever, malaria etc.
  • Personal security and road safety.
  • Poor healthcare standards, not only for diseases or injuries presenting abroad but for pre-existing conditions that we take with us e.g. asthma, diabetes etc.
  • The effects of travel itself from the relatively trivial like sea sickness to the more major like deep vein thrombosis.

The major and most common diseases that affect us on holiday, or on business travel, and that need vaccinating against include Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Cholera, Ticks, Tetanus, Polio, Diptheria, Hep A, Hep B, Rabies and Malaria.
For more information on these diseases, click here

In summary, more than 900 million international journeys are undertaken every year and global travel on this scale exposes many people to a range of health risks.  Many of these risks can be minimised by precautions taken before, during and after travel.

For travel health advice, contact us on 0330 3303095 or complete this form and select Travel health.

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Corporate Health invites you to our free Training Seminar day on 1st June

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Nicole

NEW EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Complimentary First Aid Training update seminar, delivered by Corporate Health’s Medical Trainer, a qualified and experienced Paramedic!

Health and Safety training is vital, as just over 200 people are killed each year due to accidents at work, and over 1 million are injured!

  • The seminar is recommended for managers, business owners and HR professionals looking to keep up to date with the factors, opportunities and risks affecting their business, customers and operating environment.
  • Get free updates on first aid and medical training for the workplace and have an opportunity to meet your peers in the Thames Valley area.  It is an opportunity to try before you buy!

The Agenda

The agenda will explore the first aid risks affecting organisations today.  We will advise you on everything you and your appointed first aiders will need to know about the latest and safest techniques and products.    The agenda will also cover defibrillation, using an AED, dealing with anaphylaxis shocks and managing epilepsy.  Refreshments and lunch at the end of the session, will be provided for you.

Event Details

Friday 1st June 2012 – 10am to 1pm, plus lunch

The seminar will take place at the Corporate Health training facility, on the Slough Trading Estate.

To Register

Email Nicole Martin at Corporate Health requesting a registration form.  Once completed and received, you will be emailed confirming your place.

Please note places are very limited, so register quickly.

Corporate Health – Coming to your aid on the 1st June …

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Cut back on vacation costs, not vaccination costs!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Nicole

With a number of Britons considering no holiday this year due to the continuing economic crisis, those that are still planning to go are setting aside less budget for their holiday.

One cost area that holiday makers MUST NOT cut back on is that of travel health and vaccinations.  Holiday makers are appearing to be saving up for their holidays and not using credit cards as much.  Forward planning is also very much required when booking your holiday vaccinations as many need to be administered a certain time before leaving the UK.

The WHO, last week celebrated their “Protect your world, Get vaccinated” week.  The aim of this week was to focus on the importance of vaccinating against deadly diseases.  The emphasis was on adults and children, with the take home message that vaccines can transform lives and prevents millions of unnecessary deaths.

Advice on Travel Vaccinations here.

If you are planning a vacation or have perhaps booked one and need bespoke advice to your travel needs, contact Corporate Health’s Medical Centre today or call 0330 3303095

 

 

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Changes to reporting injuries in the workplace “no excuse to slacken”

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Nicole

Some changes have been made to the way employers report injuries in the workplace. From 6 April, employers are no longer legally required to report injuries that incapacitate workers for three days or fewer. The legal requirement is now seven days.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) must now be informed of any reportable injuries within a timeframe of 15 days from the day of the accident – an extension of the previous seven-day window that employers had.

These changes will supposedly save employers “thousands of hours” completing official paperwork, and should see an estimated 30,000 fewer reports coming in to the HSE every year. They were supported by the government, whose Employment Minister Chris Grayling said that the changes were “all about bringing common sense back to Health & Safety. We want less red tape for business, and these measures should save companies thousands of hours a year”.

The GMB union has warned that the figure of 30,000 is illusory, claiming “there will be 30,000 fewer accidents reported, which is not the same as 30,000 fewer accidents.”

Corporate Health has warned employers that they are still required to keep a record of all injuries in their accident book – including those over three days. This information can still be used to monitor performance and report on accident reduction targets.

Indeed, the reduction in the amount of paperwork should not result in a slackening of the application of Health and Safety regulations. While the majority of employers will remain by and large unaffected by these changes, no business should see this relaxation of reporting as an opportunity to scale down on health and safety and first aid training.

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Migraines misunderstood: what employers need to do

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Nicole

Some recent research carried out by the Migraine Trust has revealed that migraines sufferers are ‘suffering in silence’ for fear that their condition is misunderstood by managers. In fact, when you delve into the data, it’s quite shocking that almost all of those surveyed claimed that they felt they were discriminated against, simply for having migraines.

This stems from a basic misunderstanding of what a migraine is. There’s a common perception that a migraine is “just a bad headache”, but the World Health Organisation lists it as a disabling condition. Common symptoms go beyond “just a headache” and include nausea, dizziness, and even vomiting.

Take the argument further, and employers could even be responsible for triggering migraines in sufferers. As part of your duty of care, you will need to reduce the potential for sufferers to get migraines as a result of workplace conditions, and this includes:

  • glare from monitors
  • workstation positions
  • working hours & number of breaks
  • ‘break-out’ areas for migraine sufferers
  • holistic, proactive solutions for those suffering from stress

What is clear is that employers need to alter attitudes towards migraines and make it clear that employees suffering from the condition will not be discriminated against. A workstation assessment will be required, and an action plan should be drawn up on the basis of the results.

Not only does this position the business as an employer of choice – it helps improve productivity and therefore, profitability. As the job market loosens up, no employer can afford to leave employees thinking that their condition is misunderstood and that they may be discriminated against – consciously or unconsciously.

To find out more about the Migraine Trust, visit their website: http://www.migrainetrust.org

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Physiotherapy and the corporate client

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Nicole

UK sickness absence in2011 remained at 7.7 days per employee per year, according to the most recent survey of 592 organisations by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)
The CIPD put the cost of absence at £673 per employee per year. For more information visit www.cipd.co.uk

Have you ever thought how much it might be costing your business?

Combined with Corporate Health’s range of Occupational Healthcare services, the physiotherapy service is in addition able to provide you with:

  • Immediate access to highly trained Physiotherapists.
  • Private G.P. facilities
  • Pre-employment screening
  • Workplace ergonomic advice
  • Motivation counselling
  • Stress reduction strategies
  • “On going” dialogue with employers regarding:-
    • Progress of injury
    • Number of treatment/rehabilitation sessions required
    • Estimated return to work timescale
  • Dynamic and effective treatment to reduce employee absence
  • Examination and re-assessment of employees with long term absence record through injury

Time lost by your employees waiting for appointments and subsequent treatment, is costing your organisation money.

Additonal benefits include:

  • Rapid return to the workplace reduces costs to your business due to:
  • reduced payment of salaries to absent individuals
  • reduced overtime payments
  • reduced payment for temporary staff
  • reduced claims for wrongly diagnosed treatment
  • reduced treatment timescales
  • Prevention of re-occurrence of injury (where medically possible) due to focused, dynamic rehabilitation

For more information, fill out the contact form here.

 

 

 

 

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Case study – How Physiotherapy helps

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Nicole

Case commentary – Headaches
Though few people would look to physiotherapy as a treatment for those who have chronic headache and migraine problems, experience has shown that when the correct management plan is implemented many people’s problems can be significantly improved, if not cured.
A lot of headaches are myo-fascial (muscles and connective tissues) in origin. Tight muscles can pull on the neck and the base of the skull causing aches and pains, and the formation of trigger points (extremely tight, spasmed or contracted muscle) can refer pain directly to many different areas of the head ranging from the eyes, cheeks, and jaw to the back of the head, the ears and all that is in between.

Case 1
Constant band of pain:
This 33-year-old man presented with chronic headache symptoms that took the form of an almost constant band of pain around the top of his head.
The symptoms had been present for several years and had been exacerbated following a fall in which the client injured his neck.
Over the years in which the problem had been present the patient had undergone brain scans, MRI scans, CT scans and various other investigations without any definitive findings and had been prescribed numerous medications without significant improvement.
On initial assessment the patient presented with what he described as a band of pain around his head and explained how it was almost constantly there. Further questioning revealed that he had not always suffered from the headaches and that he found they did tend to be worse in the morning, after sitting reading/writing at a computer for prolonged periods, and when he felt tense or under stress.
When examined it was clear to see that there was definite involvement of the neck and surrounding muscles and connective tissue. Although range of movement was essentially full and without pain, the muscles were extremely tight, with numerous spasms, and were very painful on palpation. Additional investigation revealed several ‘triggers’ in the soft tissues which reproduced the headache symptoms experienced by the patient.
Over the next 4-5 sessions we worked on reducing the spasm and tightness in the muscles and releasing the triggers with deep soft tissue manipulation, joint manipulation (to ensure the joints of the neck and back could move freely and effectively) and some stretching work. A significant improvement was felt from the initial treatment session and the duration of the improvement increased with each subsequent treatment. Once the symptoms had settled we implemented some strength and conditioning work to support the muscles of the neck, allowing them to deal effectively with the clients day to day rigours without becoming overworked and tight, consequently developing more trigger points.
After a follow up 3 weeks later the client was delighted to report that he had hardly any awareness of his old pain at all and, allied to the occasional maintenance session every now and again, his symptoms have remained settled and manageable.

Case 2
Stiffness & morning headaches:
A 41-year-old solicitor who spent most of her time at her desk presented with constant trouble in the form of pain and tightness across the back of her shoulders and neck when she woke in the morning (lasting for several hours or slightly less if she took analgesics), and after a long day at work.
She had previously had similar problems on and off for the past 18 months or so with no particular incident of injury she could recall that may have precipitated the problem.
Further questioning also brought to light a right-sided headache alongside the other symptoms of stiffness and pain in the mornings, although she hadn’t realised that the two complaints were potentially connected.
On examination range of movement of the neck and shoulders was within normal limits with some stiffness noted in the inter-vertebral movements, but no other obvious restrictions. However, palpation of the soft tissues elicited significant tenderness and identified several triggers producing the headache symptoms, not all of which were directly around the neck – some were as distant as her shoulder blade.
Treatment consisted initially of deep soft tissue manipulation and release work (to alleviate spasm and contractures in the muscle and eliminate the triggers), neck and thoracic spine manipulation (to facilitate improved spinal mechanics) and some home-based stretching and mobility work (to maintain the gains from treatment sessions). After 3 sessions the frequency of the headaches had reduced from daily to once or twice per week and with 2 additional treatments they had settled entirely, with the stiffness in the morning also greatly reduced.
Following the prescription of some strengthening exercises, some ergonomic advice on how best to arrange her workstation, and the elimination of some bad telephone habits the headaches, pain and stiffness that were once so frustrating are no longer an irritant.

For an appointment, contact us today

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How Physiotherapy can help sickness absence management

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Nicole

PhysioWorld has extensive experience in the Occupational Health arena with significant reduction in sickness/absence within the work place by offering immediate access to a comprehensive and effective range of Occupational Health services and solutions.

The Occupational Health service starts with a telephone triage assessment through to total care management.  This highly successful approach enables all our clinics and physiotherapists to follow the same treatment model and reporting systems throughout the business.  PhysioWorld can help reduce the hidden cost of employee sickness and absence by providing:

  • Immediate access to Occupational Health Triage service
  • Consultation by Occupational Health clinicians within 48 hours where appropriate
  • Dynamic, effective management to reduce absence
  • Investigation into absence to correct / identify possible causes and offer a solution.
  • Examination and re-assessment of long term absence through injury.

We ensure that each patient receives:

  • The highest standard of advice and treatment in each of our specialist areas of expertise.
  • Access to the very best specialist medical consultants and diagnostic techniques
  • Focused specialist skills to achieve the fastest possible return to activities the individual is currently unable to pursue.

Benefits of Physiotherapy

  • PhysioWorld provides treatment and care for in excess of 60, 000 patients per year
  • Service delivered direct
  • We are able to open up new clinics anywhere within the UK to meet client’s needs.
  • Management pyramid structure providing support to the Occupational Health solution
  • Strict SLA’s adhered too
  • Full reports for Initial assessments, DNA and final assessments are standard.

For an appointment, contact us today.

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