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  • The Keys to an Effective Corporate Wellness Program

    Many Canadians spend much of their waking hours at places of work. This reality has encouraged many employers to recognize the incredible value of having workplace wellness programs, and the benefits these programs can have on the general health of workers, and their productivity.

    With the success of your organization likely heavily dependent upon its employees, it makes sense to ensure your staff has a healthy environment in which to thrive and establish programs that encourage them to make positive lifestyle changes.

    Professional development programmes and newer wellness initiatives have been proven to boost worker productivity and their overall engagement. Therefore, engaging in such initiatives has positive benefits to both the company and employees’ health. By instituting healthy lifestyle policies and behaviors at your place of work, you can help your staff be their best at work, and play, throughout their lives.   

    The Workplace Medical complete wellness programme can help your organization to achieve these objectives. Let’s have a closer look.

    Biometric Testing – Know Your Numbers

    Your first step to a healthy organization should be an onsite biometric clinic. We have a team of registered nurses that can perform health screens with your staff – at your place of business. Each participant will receive his or her personalized test results, as well as health coaching from a nurse competent in identifying potential health risks to your employees. Your employees will also receive handouts and valuable information to take home and share with their family. 

    In addition, an a la carte biometric screening program is available from Workplace Medical. The screenings are offered as individual items that may include blood glucose, lipid panel testing, blood pressure, flexibility tests, strength tests, percentage body fat and body mass index (BMI).

    A successful wellness program begins by establishing a baseline where employees ‘know their numbers.’ This is the importance of biometric testing. We also offer more comprehensive testing clinics, including:  

    WMC HEALTHCheck: This clinic provides non-fast blood tests of cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure.

    WMC HEARTCheck: We offer this clinic to both fasting and non-fasting participants, measuring blood glucose, BMI, blood pressure and full lipid panel screening (triglycerides, HDL, total cholesterol, and LDL).

    WMC miniHEALTH Assessment: This clinic screens employees of the six common health problems that include diabetes, anemia, high blood pressure, depression, high cholesterol, and sleep disturbances. The assessment usually involves completing a questionnaire, having a one-on-one meeting with a nurse, and drawing of non-fasting blood. We follow it up with a telephone consultation to discuss the results of the lab tests as well as health teaching.

    Corporate Wellness Program – Designed to Suit Your Budget and Objectives

    Starting a corporate health and wellness program can be overwhelming – figuring out where to start is often the first, and greatest challenge.

    Workplace Medical is pleased to join with Employee Wellness Solutions Network (EWSNetwork) to help our firm expand the depth and breadth of its service offering. Through our partnership with EWSNetwork, we are now able to provide clients with a Corporate Wellness Membership as an extension of Workplace Medical’s wellness offering. The membership offers customized and multi-faceted wellness initiatives that will fit with your organization’s budget and objectives.

    This program provides an easy and cost-effective way to implement your corporate program through a monthly membership subscription service – assuring the delivery of your wellness program throughout the year.

    The key to the success of EWSNetwork is their ability to identify your corporate objectives and strategically align health initiatives to support their achievement while improving the health and productivity of your employees. This results in a healthy culture and a more profitable workplace. The key features of the Corporate Wellness Membership include awareness programs, one-on-one coaching, needs assessment, group workshops, challenges, staff information sessions, all-year long health campaigns, family wellness initiatives, and health risk assessments (HRA).

    As the world of work progresses, top-notch employers will be increasingly identified by the quality of their wellness programs. Whether the company is large or small, it can significantly benefit from having some form of wellness program. Given that such programs lead to the improvement of the employees’ well-being and boosts company productivity and taking into consideration the amount of time employees spend in their workplaces, it is vital to nurture these programs.

    If an employer can go beyond the expectations of its employees, it encourages staff members to do the same – often working harder and being more productive and committed to the organization.

    If you would like to learn more about how Workplace Medical can assist your organization in establishing a corporate health and wellness program, please contact us today.

    Jon Burtenshaw

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  • New WSIB Stress-Claim Ruling Could Signal Big Changes For Employers

    If you are an employer in Ontario and you are subject to the provisions of the WSIB, you should be aware that your employees may now have the ability to make a whole new class of claims, due to Decision 2157/09. For businesses, mental illness is estimated to cost the Canadian economy in excess of $50 billion dollars annually. The direct cost to business in lost productivity and turnover is more than $6 billion dollars. Mental illnesses account for approximately 30 percent of short and long-term disability claims. In fact, they are the fastest growing disability claim in Canada. With the possible further changes to the legislation, employer costs may keep rising.

    What does it mean for employers?

    Decision 2157/09 has the potential to have a significant impact on employers in Ontario. It opens the door for claims that were previously not allowable under WSIB. The two main areas of concerns are:
    1) the ability of the WSIB to adequately assess and manage mental health claims;
    2) the creation of a new category of medical claims under WSIB will obviously increase costs to employers;
    While WSIB has previously assessed and managed mental health claims secondary to traumatic events in the workplace, these claims have had a clear trigger, which can be linked to the causation of symptoms, and severity can be assessed through viewing medical assessments and care that were required and initiated immediately following the traumatic event. This will not be the case with claims that may occur secondary to Decision 2157/09. These mental health claims are likely to have symptoms that occur over time, with no single event trigger. The employee may have a predisposition or past history of mental health issues, which the board should investigate, but may not have the experience to investigate. Unfortunately, the board has neither assessed nor managed these claims previously, which implies that there will be a steep learning curve for them, which will cost you, the employer!

    What Employers can proactively do?

    Penny Buckner, RN, Director of Workplace Medical Corp. Disability Management Division says this new legislation could have a significant impact on employers:

    Proactively, employers should ensure that they have policies in place to prevent harassment and bullying, and all managers should receive training regarding these policies to ensure that they are adhered to. Employers should also review the status of their resources and support systems in place to manage the medical issues that may arise through these claims,” advises Penny.

    Employers should ensure that they are protecting themselves to the greatest extent possible from potential mental stress claims. They can do this by:

    • Employers who have ongoing mental stress cases should ensure that the events giving rise to these cases have been, and continue to be, are addressed and well documented.
    • Adopting and enforcing policies against illegal discrimination and sexual harassment;
    • Ensuring that managers and supervisors know that actions that cause emotional distress, even if they are related to a covered injury, can result in civil liability

    What constitutes a claim of mental stress?

    The panel compared claims of mental stress over time to those of physical injuries over time. To determine causation, the tribunal considered whether the workplace injuring process made a “significant” contribution to the development of the injury or condition.

    The tribunal said: “The evidence demonstrates that workplace stressors are not limited to ‘job strain,’ but rather, there are many other types of non-traumatic workplace stressors that may be associated with mental stress.” The panel noted that a determination is more a consideration of whether the evidence of work-relatedness of mental disorders is distinguishable from physical injury claims to the extent that it warrants different treatment from physical claims.

    The kinds of work which has been shown to contribute to mental distress:
    • Imposition of unreasonable demands
    • Withholding of adequate levels of materially important information, whether deliberately or by neglect
    • Refusal to allow the exercise of reasonable discretion over the day to day means, manner, and methods of work
    • Failure to acknowledge or credit contributions and achievements
    • Failure to recognize and acknowledge the legitimate claims, interests, and rights of others (unfairness, or justice at work)

    Changes in the legislation:

    The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (“WSIAT”) has found that the prohibition against claims by workers for mental stress to be unconstitutional. The panel found that chronic workplace-related stress could be a valid claim under the province’s workplace insurance system. Currently, the Workplace and Safety and Insurance board only compensates workers for physical injuries suffered on the job or acute psychological injuries that follow a “traumatic” event.

    • Other workplace stressors are not limited to ‘job strain,’ but rather, with mental disorders, including bullying, lack of managerial support, interpersonal conflicts, and humiliating events.
    • The WSIB will only consider paying benefits for physiological conditions where the worker’s doctor or psychologist has diagnosed a psychiatric condition.
    • A claim of mental stress cannot arise solely from an employment decision, such as termination, demotion, transfer or disciplinary action.

    What to expect from your medical department

    Employers should utilize their Company Doctor or medical department to provide confidential services to support employees. Your medical department should also serve as an intermediary between the employee and employers, as well as between the employee’s family doctor and your medical department. Your medical department can also provide independent medical advice and support concerning potential workplace stressors. If an employee goes on leave, your medical department can perform a Time Loss Review to assess the amount of time off required, and assist in workplace accommodation and return to work plans if necessary Decision 2157/09 has opened the door to further potential legislative changes – in relation to claims for mental stress; and it has served to highlight the ever-increasing importance of promoting and protecting mental wellness in Ontario workplaces.

    Many resources are available to aid workplaces seeking to address the psychosocial hazards responsible for work-related mental stress.     A new workplace mental health Standard was published in 2013. The standard, entitled Psychological health and safety in the workplace—Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13), was developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (BNQ). It was commissioned by the federally-funded Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Another resource is the Mental Injury Prevention Tool Kit developed by the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) in partnership with several unions, academics, and others.

    To read the official documents detailing the ruling, click here.

    WSIB official site: http://www.wsib.on.ca

    Jon Burtenshaw

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  • Noise Induced Hearing Loss Increases Risk For Workplace Injuries

    A new study published in the April 10, 2014, edition of Canadian Occupational Health e-magazine, finds that noise induced hearing loss and exposure to loud noise on the job may cause workers to miss danger warnings and result in a higher number of workplace accidents.

    Study Findings

    • For every decibel of hearing loss, the risk of hospitalization due to work related injury increased by 1%.
    • Workers exposed to noise levels above 100dB had almost 2.5 times the risk of being hospitalized for work related injuries compared to workers not exposed to loud noise.
    • Workers who already have a hearing loss are also more likely to be seriously hurt.
    • For workers with both a severe hearing loss AND high noise exposure, the risk of being hospitalized with a work related injury is 3.6 times that of workers with neither condition.
    • Exposure to high noise levels increases fatigue, decreases concentration and impairs the quality of communication. These can be contributing factors in workplace injuries and absences.

    Study Background

    The study was led by Serge-Andre Girard, who is a researcher with the National Public Health Institute of Quebec in Quebec City. His research looked at records for 46,550 male workers over nearly 20 years, and found that 1,670 had been hospitalized for work-related injuries within five years of being given hearing tests. The researchers compared the number of injuries to worker’s levels of hearing loss indicated by the tests and their exposure to loud noises in the workplace.

    In an e-mail to Reuters, Mr. Girard states that “noise induced hearing loss is a public health issue…despite considerable energy devoted to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss, it remains a significant problem. From an occupational safety perspective, work-related injuries remain an important issue that generates significant costs for businesses, workers and compensation organizations.”

    How you can protect your employees from hearing loss and workplace accidents

    A complete Hearing Conservation Program will protect your employees and eliminate – not reduce – eliminate, noise induced hearing loss. A complete hearing conservation programs include:

    • Noise & Dosimeter Surveys
    • Mobile Audiometric Screenings
    • Education, Training, and Consulting
    • Custom hearing protection
    • In-house medical supervision & accredited technicians
    • Proactive Management Report with comprehensive demographics, trend analysis, and proactive action recommendations.

    Noise-induced hearing loss is the leading occupational disease in North America, ranking as one of the most costly and frequently reported compensation claims. Protect your workplace from avoidable employee hearing loss, workplace accidents, and costly compensation cases and implement a hearing conservation program today. Workplace Medical Corp. is hosting one-day hearing conservation seminars in London and Ottawa.
    For more information on the London conference click here. For more information on the Ottawa conference click here.
    To contact us to learn more about Workplace Medical’s hearing conservation program click here.
    To view the original article click here.

    Jon Burtenshaw

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  • 3 Misconceptions About Mobile Hearing Testing

    Noise induced hearing loss is now the most common occupational disease in North America, affecting both the employee and employer. Here, we take a look at the 3 most misunderstood concerns about using a mobile hearing testing service.

    Misconception: The test must take place in a 100% soundproof environment:

    Audiometric booths (or attenuation booths), which are used in all clinical applications and most mobile unit applications, are simply designed to reduce the background noise to a level that no longer affects the test result. There are standard criteria for allowable background noise levels, and a properly designed mobile unit will meet these standards. Furthermore, It is standard practice for the person conducting the test to triple-check the results at each test tone before determining the patient’s true hearing level.

    Misconception: You must avoid any noise exposure prior to your test:

    It is hazardous noise that must be avoided, so wearing appropriate hearing protection is the equivalent of no noise exposure. Second, avoiding noise is essential for your baseline test, but not necessarily so for subsequent tests. In fact, it may be of more value to test a worker in the middle or even at the end of a shift. Here’s why: A person working in a high-noise environment prior the test will be (or should be) wearing hearing protection, so their test results shouldn’t indicate any noise-induced shifts, no matter what time the test was done. However, if this person is not wearing hearing protection (or not wearing it properly) and is tested at the end of a shift, the results are likely to indicate a temporary shift. This is the most important information of all. It’s exactly what you need to know. In fact, it’s the primary reason for a hearing conservation program.

    • You get a better understanding of the true level of hearing protection compliance in the workplace. You can’t simply assume that everyone’s wearing hearing protection and wearing it properly. You need a metric.
    • These temporary shifts will become permanent if allowed to continue. Since the hearing test will spot a shift before the worker begins to notice it, follow up remedial action can be taken at the earliest possible stage…before significant damage occurs and before it becomes compensable.
    • The results can be used as a training tool to help the worker see the risks of noise exposure and understand the benefits of hearing protection.

    If hearing tests were only conducted after temporary shifts have receded, we may not know about the shifts until it started to become a permanent shift.

    Misconception: The tests need to be conducted by a hearing specialist or audiologist:

    Most companies believe it’s neither efficient nor necessary to spend the time and money on a professional/clinical service when most people don’t need it. What’s needed is a quick way to screen for those with a condition that actually should be flagged for professional follow-up. This is where the mobile hearing testing services come in. Most services are capable of doing multiple-simultaneous tests and can screen the entire workforce in a fraction of the time it would take for a professional or nurse to do them one at a time. As an added bonus, many of these services also provide very comprehensive demographic and statistical reports. Proactive implementation of a comprehensive hearing conservation program can reduce and even eliminate occupational hearing loss. Save your organization and employees the time, costs and damages associated with hearing loss and book a mobile hearing test today. For more information, please contact us.

    Jon Burtenshaw

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  • Ironman Athlete Collects Monthly Workers Compensation Cheque

    The Phoenix Arizona News describes an extreme case of Workers Compensation fraud – woman competes in Ironman while on Workers Compensation. As an experienced case manager, I see workers compensation fraud often – although it is not usually as extreme as collecting Workers Compensation cheques while competing in an Ironman event.

    How does fraud happen and what can you do about it?

    The problem starts when employers and Case Managers accept a Doctor’s Note from a family or general physician. The family physician often gets only one side of the story and claims are approved by “word of one doctor”.

    Be in control. Proactively manage your disability claims.

    As the employer, you will ultimately be paying for this fraud so you need to proactively manage claims and not rely on the worker’s compensation board. Claims Management relies on a complete diagnosis that takes into account the physical demands of the job as well as the physical and mental limits of the employee. Often an employee will advise their doctor that their job demands exceed their limitations, and the doctor will diagnose from there. Employers are not privy to the medical background that went into the diagnosis and thus, cannot know how complete the assessment was. This is when a company needs an Occupational Health Physician.

    What role does a Company Doctor play?

    My recommendation is that the employer should have their own “company doctor” or occupational health physician to review the physical demands of the job and compare that to the capabilities of the employee. If the employee is completely unfit for duty, the Physician would be able to recommend a rehabilitation program. If the employee is somewhat fit for duty, they could potentially go back to work immediately, with modified work duties. The Occupational Health Physician would then reassess the employee to mark any changes or improvements until the time that the employee could return safely to work. Case Managers require the Occupational Health perspective in order to effectively manage claim expenses for the employer and to ensure the employer is in control.

    5 Ways to Avoid Fraudulent Claims

    1. Be involved in Case Management. Ensure Case Managers obtain all of the medical information used to make the diagnosis and do not rely on the interpretation of the information from treating providers. The employee should not drive the diagnosis.
    2. Separate medical from non-medical information in order to determine the cause of an absence.
    3. Work with Case Managers who will validate the initial medical report by using Doctor-to-Doctor Conferencing and Time-Loss Reviews, which are medical assessments performed by an Occupational Health Physician.
    4. Confirm that the diagnosis takes into account the actual requirements of the employee’s job, and note the potential for modified work duties.
    5. Require that Case Managers have ongoing contact with the employee to note their responses to their rehabilitative treatment and reassess their functional abilities over time.

    For more information about Claims Management, Workers Compensation disputes and how to prevent avoidable absences, contact us.

    Strategic Absence Management Inc., a division of Workplace Medical

    Penny Buckner is the Director of Strategic Absence Management Inc. She is also a Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience in the Group Disability arena in both Canada and the United States. Penny’s experience includes managing Short and Long Term Disability claims at Canada Life and Sun Life, developing and implementing an Early Intervention product used at several national insurers as well as providing case management and auditing services for OTIP (Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan).  Currently, Penny leads our disability management program and our team of nurse case managers.

    Jon Burtenshaw

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  • Conference Board of Canada Recommends Tracking Employee Absences

    The Conference Board of Canada has released, “Missing in Action: Absenteeism Trending Canadian Organizations” as the first part of a three-part series about absenteeism and disability management.

    Absent employees are costing the Canadian economy a staggering $16.6 billion

    In 2011, full-time employees averaged a 9.3-day absent rate. Within this document, the Conference Board suggests that employers must improve tracking reasons for employee absences so that they can better understand absenteeism, and only 46% of companies track absenteeism (2012).

    Organizations cannot improve absenteeism if they are not tracking it.

    Solutions for tracking absenteeism exist. We also know that most of the companies that do track absenteeism do not track it well, and thus cannot take action on the results.

    Key findings from the Conference Canada research:

    • Absenteeism costs the Canadian economy $16.6B (2012)
    • Average days absent in Canada is 9.3 but varies widely by industry (2011)
    • Only 46% of companies track absenteeism (2012)
    • Survey estimates direct costs at 2.4% of gross payroll
    • Findings do not include direct costs

    Absenteeism requires a holistic approach within an organization.

    What typically falls to Human Resources staff must be collaboratively controlled by frontline management, HR executive staff, and C-level leaders. To help Canadian businesses streamline internal processes and policy implementation for absence management, we offer a customizable software solution that can be tailored to work with your absence management program and close costly loopholes that can affect your productivity.

    Jon Burtenshaw

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