Adjusting the Way We Approach an Injured Worker
A new term was coined to illustrate those that use their body for work—an industrial athlete. With this new designation comes new ways to think about the healing and recovery process when workers get hurt at work.
Joining the Safety Justice League hosts, safety expert Rachel Walla and physical therapist Chantel Gorton talked about this concept and their work together. Walla is a safety consultant with Ally Safety, which supports safety professionals with products and services to transform workplaces. Gorton currently works as an injury prevention specialist with Work Right NW.
Gorton offered some highlights of her career as a PT, from working with a professional basketball team in Vietnam to doing similar work back in the states.
“I didn’t know if this was the right road for me. Then I met my boss, and it was eye-opening because the mission is to change healthcare for industrial athletes,” she said.
Gorton used the term because they “use their body for a living, the same as athletes.” She noted that these individuals don’t usually know how to make their bodies well, but they still have to work hours a day using it.
Walla had similar thoughts working as a safety professional. She met Gorton through work, and they started to create videos together to address these things.
That awareness set them on a mission to rethink the process for an injured worker. “When there’s an injured worker, you go into this automatic cycle of investigation and follow-up. The goal is to get them back to work, and we want to change that narrative, so they are seen as a person that needs to heal,” Walla said.
Gorton added, “It’s the words we use, and many of these people identify as their trade. So if you can’t work, who are you anymore. It can compound the injury and its perception.”
More Stories Like This One:
What EHS Professionals Can Expect from Safety Connect
How to Keep Safety First During a Skilled Labor Shortage
Latest
Zillow’s Not a Real Estate Agent. Don’t Rely On It To Find Your Home Valuation
In the dynamic landscape of real estate, home valuation is a delicate process requiring not just data, but a deep understanding of unique property features and market trends. Platforms like Zillow offer a numerical estimate based on comps or square footage but can fail to capture the essence of a home, from interior renovations […]
Can You Find Your Home Sweet Home in This Unpredictable Housing Market?
In the fluctuating landscape of the current unpredictable housing market, potential homebuyers are navigating high mortgage rates, volatile economic conditions, housing changes and a tightening inventory. Home prices have shown a slight decline with the median existing-home sales price dropping 0.9% to $375,700 in March compared to a year ago. It’s the second month […]
Legal Battles and Uncertainty Surrounding Affordable Care Act’s Preventative Services Coverage
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has faced numerous legal challenges since its inception, leaving its future uncertain. Texas’s courts recently overturned insurance provider coverage requirements for certain preventative health services, altering the landscape of coverage. However, a higher court has now blocked that overturning order, reinstating insurers’ obligation to cover those services. While not all […]
