Keeping Employees Safe And On The Job
Read one Bethesda Care physician's philosophy
Dr. James Keller has been a Bethesda Care physician for over eight years. In that time, he has treated thousands of work-related injuries. He's seen everything from cuts and sprains to injuries from biting animals (and humans!). But that's one of the things he likes best about being an occupational medicine doctor: there's never a dull moment, given his occupation's fast pace and variety.
We asked Dr Keller what an organization can do to keep work-related injuries to a minimum, and here's what he had to say:
"Prevention is the key. When I see, for example, a company that's been sending us several shoulder injuries, we'll proactively contact them and look into that issue to see how we can help solve it. Often through job or work-environment modifications, we can substantially reduce the occurrence of those injuries.
But injury reduction is most effective when everyone wants to look for the problem and honestly solve it. What I have found is that it starts with an upper management's vision and what they want to achieve, and then communicating that plan to everyone. Studies have shown that the severity of an injury is not necessarily the only determinant of how long someone will be off work. You can't underestimate the relationship of workers with their co-workers and supervisor.
If an organization truly has a commitment to safety and creates a positive, trusting environment between workers and supervisors, everyone will typically work together in reducing injuries. But when one party doesn't believe in this commitment to safety, that's when trouble starts. It sounds simple, but this approach is very effective.
Also, I am a firm believer in workers returning to work with restrictions as they recover. When employees are in their usual daily setting with their co-workers, they'll recover more quickly. They'll be less stiff and sore, and studies show their period of disability is shortened. We approach our injured workers like industrial athletes and use many of the same techniques that sports medicine practitioners use: physical therapy and injections, for example. The goal is to keep injured workers active throughout the recovery process."
Dr. Keller earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago in 1984 and completed his Occupational Medicine Residency at the University of Cincinnati in 1992. He is Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and from 2001 to 2009, served as Medical Director for Bethesda Care Sharonville. He is currently Regional Medical Director for TriHealth Occupational Medicine-Sharonville and Butler County.
He is a member of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Disability Evaluator's Panel and in this capacity regularly addresses complex cases for the BWC. He is also interested in return-to-work issues for non-work-related as well as work-related injury and illness.