As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And one school district discovered how that premise, with an unexpected partner, could make a significant impact on overall employee health and well-being.
It started in 2021, as school bus drivers headed back to their routes after initial COVID-19 pandemic closures. By returning to the worksite and repetitive on-the-job movements after an extended time away, some of their injuries returned as well. A mid-size district in the Puget Sound area of Washington state called their occupational health vendor, Kaiser Permanente on the Job and asked if there was any educational material that they could share to help reduce their pain and injuries.
Gregory Gutke, MD, chief of Occupational Medicine in Washington, jumped in with something even better for the employer: a short video for their staff on preventing injuries in the workplace.
“I wanted to provide employees with the information to help them prevent their injuries, so they don’t have to come see me, and to enable their body to be healthy,” said Dr. Gutke. “Besides potentially limiting your ability to work, acute and chronic injuries can decrease your quality of life. We know that work injuries will happen, but we can help prevent many of them so you can feel better.”
An accessible and informative video from a credible source was exactly what the district needed. Because it was so popular, Dr. Gutke recorded a second video for all educators, since teachers and support staff also experience repetitive injuries or slips, trips, and falls — all of which are quite common injuries in workplace environments.
“The best advice I can give people is to be proactive — look for tripping hazards or better opportunities to follow safety protocols,” Dr. Gutke advises. “Also, carefully managing any conditions with your health care providers can help you stay on track with your health goals and keep you injury-free, working, and feeling better overall.”
These learnings can be applied today. You can find allies to support your employees’ overall well-being because it’s about their comprehensive health over the long term, not just a quick fix. We know that better health means fewer injuries, and fewer injuries is better quality of work, and more importantly, better quality of life. Please visit Employee Wellness Resources for more information.
The initiation of this work was with bus driver injury prevention, but it contributed to supporting the health and well-being for all teachers and staff. It also reminds us that a well-being program doesn’t just live in one department. It’s not just in the benefits office, or with recruitment and retention, or in Occupational Health. It’s everywhere and together we can do more.
Not sure how to get started? The Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment is designed to help you convene a team from your district to identify strengths and opportunities to create an action plan that will help improve the health and well-being of your entire school community.
