Precast Inc. - September/October 2008 - (Page 27) help at home – these all add up to significant financial strain. Like any other injury, there is also the change in schedules, change in lifestyle and day-to-day events that create additional emotional and physical strains on the family unit. Even when an employee returns to work, the stress of thinking about going home to a recovering family member keeps the employee from being 100 percent focused on the job. That alone can lead to another injury while at work. Another potential problem with an off-work-related injury, as seen in the third example above, is the employee coming to work and claiming it is work-related. When faced with paying everything out of pocket versus going through workers’ compensation benefits, the temptation may be too great not to try. This is where front-line supervisors play a particularly important role. When an employee reports to work struggling to move or appears to be in obvious pain and the shift hasn’t started yet, the employee’s manager or supervisor should be asking about the problem to see if it will impact the employee’s ability to perform assigned tasks that day or if the employee should go home. Never wait for the shift to begin to find out what is wrong, since that simply provides an open door for the employee to act on that temptation. A proactive, world-class company strives to become better in the workplace and more competitive in its market. It has mastered many of the compliance issues and unsafe conditions that previously existed. This type of company addresses employee practices and empowers employees to stop and correct identified hazards to which they may be exposed. A world-class company has a wellness program to help employees develop healthy habits. Such a program helps both the employee and the employer. The aging workforce, smoking, nutrition and diet, heart and blood pressure concerns, and other healthrelated issues have an adverse effect on the employee’s quality of life at home and at work while also affecting his ability to perform tasks in a safe and SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | WWW.PRECAST.ORG 27 Dreamstime http://www.precast.org
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