Workplace Health
The overall goal of the workplace health team is to assist organisations to maintain a healthy engaged workforce and to ensure that employees physical capacity matches the demands of the job. Health and work are related and are interdependent.
Many factors impact on our ability to perform optimally at work. This includes musculoskeletal injuries, but chronic diseases, mental health problems and age-related changes are also playing an increasing role.
Our physiotherapists ensure employees get excellent medical and physiotherapy care so they can maintain or return to their desired work. We do this by working directly with injured employees and their employers and liaising with other relevant medical staff.
We are affiliated with APM Workcare for work rehabilitation programmes.
Injury Prevention Programmes
Costs of injury
- Costs of injury to employees includes: loss of income, medical costs, and potential ongoing reduced capacity. Time away from work can have a negative social impact both at work and home.
- Costs of injury to employers includes: retraining of staff or employment of casual relievers, ACC levy costs, costs of investigation and administration of claims, and reduced productivity.
Our physiotherapists can educate and advise your workplace on injury prevention strategies. This may include provision of advice about workstations and tasks, education of managers and employees regarding best work practices and provision of exercises.
Early intervention programme:
This programme assists workers to manage their discomfort and avoid progression to injury by teaching self-management strategies and providing a limited number of treatment sessions. Our physiotherapists can work with employers to develop a custom designed programme of treatment sessions and education for employees with work related injuries or discomfort.
Worksite and Work Station Assessments
On site Assessments:
Barrington Health Physiotherapy team will come to your workplace with an agreed assessment plan and goals. The assessment includes: consideration of the physical environment, tools and equipment required for the work, the physical and ergonomic demands of the work as well as the way the client works and interacts with other members of the workplace.
The physiotherapist will provide advice and make suitable changes at the time of the assessment. The referrer will be provided with a report summarising findings and any further recommendations.
Telehealth Assessments:
The Barrington Health Physiotherapy team offers a remote worksite and workstation assessment option for staff working from home. This includes a preliminary survey to be completed by the employee followed by an audio/video assessment with advice and recommendations provided.
Pre-Employment Screening
We have experience in providing pre-employment screening through training in the Job Fit system. This is a comprehensive assessment of a client’s ability to perform various actions, adopt positions, sustain postures, and handle loads. These assessments are tailored to meet the demands of a job.
Work Rehabilitation
Barrington Health Physiotherapy work with ACC and third part administrators (eg Work Aon, Well NZ and Gallagher Bassett) to assist employees to return to work safely after injury whether the injury occurred at work or not.
Barrington Health Physiotherapy is affiliated with APM Workcare for provision of Stay at Work services to ACC.
We can also provide rehabilitation and return to work programmes for those people who have time off work following illness or who are having difficulty with work due to age related or chronic medical conditions.
A return to work programme will often include a graduated progression of hours or work duties depending on the client’s injury and the workplace ability to support this. Rehabilitation at work is preferred because it ensures a gradual development of specific work fitness and it facilitates development of normal work routines and social contacts.
Injury Treatment and Exercise Programmes
Barrington Health Physiotherapy has a purpose-built gym. The staff are well equipped to design programmes to develop workers’ fitness for return to usual work tasks when it is not possible to rehabilitate in the actual work environment. Exercise programmes are designed to match the demands of the job to ensure that the person is work fit on re-entry to the workplace.