Podcasts about fit for work

Physios believe a law change is needed to take pressure of GPs and certify patients fit-for-work faster. They say the current law, which requires a GP to sign off their fit-for-work plans, is causing unnecessary delays. ACC patients are the only clients physios can't sign off on. Physiotherapy New Zealand President Kirsten Davie told Mike Hosking New Zealand can't afford to have bottlenecks in the health system. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Friday Workplace Briefing, Nina discusses medicinal cannabis and when it is safe to work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Friday Workplace Briefing, Andrew and Nina discuss the law around inherent requirements of the job and false representations of fitness to work, at the time of employment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School is back, and at Grandview C4 School District in Kansas City, MO, it's back and better than ever thanks to an investment in an Ergonomics Subscription project with Fit For Work. Janet Melton, the district's Senior Wellbeing Coordinator, joins the podcast to discuss the project from the first step to the ongoing implementation and everything in between.

Together, Fit For Work and VelocityEHS offer an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to quickly scale implementation, training, onsite assessments, and adoption of ergonomics and health solutions into their business. Rick Barker, leader of Principal Solutions Strategy at VelocityEHS, joins the podcast to discuss how this partnership is generating a transformational approach to ergonomics and injury prevention.

In this episode, we tackle the challenge of balancing a physically demanding job with a fitness lifestyle. I share personal stories to provide practical tips and strategies on how to achieve optimal health and wellness. Listen in and discover how you can overcome the obstacles and find the perfect balance between working out and your demanding job. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lensonfitness/message

Dr. Jerroed Roberson, PT, DPT and Fit For Work Employment Testing Provider, joins the Injury Prevention Podcast to talk about the process and benefits of employment testing and how it will lead to a healthier, more productive workforce. Meaningful work that impacts lives is Fit For Work's motto and Dr. Roberson explains how he and his colleagues bring that to life every day for clients and their employees.

Being a Safety and Facilities Manager puts one right at the heart of the relationship between efficient production and wall-to-wall safety, and Tyler, a Fit For Work partner, joins the podcast to discuss that and much more.

Fit For Work?.......... with tracks by...The Lounge Society, El Nomada, RCola, Dubmatix, Low-K, Gwenno, Macroblank, Milkhouse, Deadletter, Smoke and Mirrors Sound System, Peaness, Milk and Cookies, Al'Tarba, Yemanjo The Lounge Society - Cain's Heresy El Nomada - Machete [Latino Resiste] RCola meets Dubmatix - War Peace Dub [RDX [...]

Our guest in this episode is Dr Ruth Mary Allan, an executive coach, trauma coach, professional speaker & trainer. She is the Lead Certified Brain Health Professional in the UK, trained by the Amen Clinics, a Certified Havening Practitioner & Certified High Performance Coach. She is also a Reservist British Army Officer, ski & mountain leader & Trauma Recovery coordinator. In our conversation Ruth talked to me about Optimizing both the hardware and software of our brain. The five pillars of Brain Health - feelings, actions, connection to self, thinking, environment. Being curious (not furious) about ourselves. Tom Ruwitch in https://innovabiz.com.au/podcast/tom-ruwitch-innovabuzz-483/ (episode 483) introduced us to Ruth. Listen to the podcast to find out more.

Andrew Blackmon is a Regional Sales Executive for Fit For Work LLC the injury prevention company. Andrew has been in the occupational/work prevention industry for 8 years helping companies protect their number one asset: the employees! To learn more about our Risk Management department, click here --> https://ibcins.biz/risk-management/

Quality of life and injury prevention are other ways to express health and safety.  They are inherently connected by physical fitness and intentional preparation.  On this episode of the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast, I speak with Dr. Phillip Finemore, Physical Therapist and owner of WorkFitME about how physical preparation can help prevent injury and increase your quality of life both in and outside of the workplace.

Alex and Dhammarato discuss the properties of a mind fit for work and wisdom at the point of contact with reference to greed, ill-will, and confusion conditioned by rule-bound perception. See the video version of this call on YouTube. ►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w5LU2qFYH4 Find the full video chats on the Dhammarato Dhamma YouTube channel. ►YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/DhammaratoDhamma Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome! ►The Sangha US - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh To meet Dhamma friends or volunteer to help spread the Dhamma, join our discord. ►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY To unite the growing interest in Buddhism with the hundreds of Buddhist wats in the West, we are in the process of starting the Open Sangha Foundation. If you want to learn more or volunteer to help, join the discord link above and navigate to the "open-sangha" text channel. We are in the process of timestamping and organizing the 1000+ Dhammarato skype calls on this channel. If you would like to help with the process, find more information here - https://bit.ly/3H1EWSA What do the numbers in the title mean? The number by the name of the student indicates the total amount of recorded calls with Dhammarato. The date in the title indicates the date the call was recorded. 00:00:00 The moment is the frame of reference; gaining distance 00:05:31 Rules are often the highway to hell 00:11:56 A mind fit for work (1st jhana); wisdom at the point of contact (what to do in 1st jhana) 00:15:29 Three kinds of ignorant feeling lead to dukkha; ill-will, confusion, greed; rule-bound perception 00:29:57 It doesn't matter what's going on: am I satisfied? 00:31:49 Wise confusion is to be satisfied and await more information; Devadatta's story 00:37:00 Analogy of the rat hole (paticcasamuppāda) 00:46:01 Dhammarato has no method 00:49:40 Pride; intentionally pointing-out; Aṅgulimāla's rehabilitation; bully or a bull? 01:02:15 Learning to recognise confusion; asking questions 01:05:15 Catching old rules 01:06:34 Vedanā is the crux of paticcasamuppāda; dukkha is a grand discovery

03/06/2022 (Elder Jesse Cole)

 Ambjor and Curtis talk with James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE, LSSMBB, Vice President of Technical Operations at Fit For Work, about the current state of wearable technology in the industrial setting workplaces. We find out some what the most up to date research is saying about long-term effects of wearables and what using both exoskeletal and data capturing technology can, and cannot, do for your employee.

2021 was a crazy year but your workforce keeps pushing forward. Forrest Richardson, Certified Safety Professional and Director of Safety at Fit For Work, summarizes the top 10 OSHA citations of 2021 so you can learn from others and avoid the same mistake.

Paresh Subramaniyam, founder and head of corporate health & wellness at Fitxcapes, a corporate wellness solutions firm, shares his thoughts about keeping employee minds and bodies fit for work. Image Credit: Tartila | Shutterstock

Dr. John Groves, DPT and CEO of Fit For Work, discusses an often misunderstood approach to injuries in the workplace. We talk about how every injury is complex, not complicated, and what simple changes you can make in your approach to improve safety at your workplace.

Michael Escobar, Mid-South Regional Director for Fit For Work has been responsible for setting up several simple and effective "training camps" at multiple locations over the past 15 years. He shares great tips on how to succeed in this one aspect of improving safety, along with how to avoid common mistakes that can derail your efforts. 

Jessica Herrera, one of the Area Directors of Fit For Work with over 10 years experience in the industrial setting, gives her answers to the question: What are some easy ways to improve the safety culture at my workplace? Her three ideas are simple, actionable, and make a difference. 

A panel of Fit For Work safety experts, Jessica Herrera, Michael Escobar, Forrest Richardson, and James Rethaber, have a great discussion with Ambjor and I about the challenges that employers face in hiring and retaining employees, and how different safety methods can improve hiring and employee retention.

Forrest Richardson, CSP and Safety Division Director at Fit For Work, talks with Ambjor and I to discuss the three best areas to spend your money to be make changes to be OSHA compliant and avoid fines. Quick and simple ideas that will help make a difference quickly. 

Forrest Richardson, CSP and Safety Division Director at Fit For Work, talks with Ambjor and I in a quick review of the OSHA Top 10 citations and gives some golden nuggets of information about how the pandemic effected OSHA and workplaces. 

Keith Adamson is an executive coach and mentor with more than 20 years of successful experience as Chief Operating Officer for Fit For Work, a company that he and Tom Tobin co-founded in 1998. Keith is currently living a “Repurposed Life” and started Resilere Coaching, LLC in 2019. A strong believer in awakening what is possible in others, Keith provides coaching and mentoring services with a strong emphasis on the Purpose Clarity Program and Leadership Development. Keith is passionate about serving as a volunteer for the Kairos Prison Ministry program in South Texas. He loves spending time with his wife Olivia, and family (including two granddaughters), not to mention his 10-month old Vizsla puppy named Eli. If you have any feedback or qeustions about the podcast, or have a great leadership story to share and would like to be a guest, drop us a line at info@edwardsgroup.tx.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/twoguysonstuff/message

Jarett Peikert, Lead Pain Science Researcher at Fit For Work talks about a few specific examples when employees understood pain science and when there was a communication brake down. He gives great tips on how to make your word choices positive to give the best chance for positive outcomes.

James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE and Director of Ergonomics at Fit For Work, puts Ambjor's and Curtis' ergonomic knowledge to the test with true or false questions. Have fun playing along and see how your ergonomic knowledge is, and where it can improve.

Join Two Guys on Stuff as we learn about the leadership journey, and lessons learned along the way, from John Groves. John Groves, DPT, is CEO and partner with Fit For Work, the nation's leader in onsite injury prevention which provides companies with preventative solutions in over 1000 locations across North America to drastically reduce the incidence and costs associated with musculoskeletal sprains and strains. Send your feedback, questions, and comments to info@edwardsgrouptx.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/twoguysonstuff/message

Forrest Richardson, Safety Director for Fit For Work talks with Ambjor and I about what changes are coming from OSHA so you can get ahead of them. He makes learning about these rules simple and easy to understand the core purpose for them, as well as where anyone can learn more about them. 

If your horse has had an injury, how do you know when it is ready to work again. Perhaps you could just do short lessons with it or lessons that only involved walking? In this podcast we'll talk about what you should and shouldn't do and why.

If your horse has had an injury, how do you know when it is ready to work again.Perhaps you could just do short lessons with it or lessons that only involved walking? In this podcast we'll talk about what you should and shouldn't do and why.

John Groves, CEO of Fit For Work, and Kyle Mahlum, COO of Fit For Work discuss in more details about Early Intervention and the way Fit For Work is utilizing technology to serve its clients so they can see tangible results of reducing injuries at their workplace.

John Grove, CEO of Fit For Work, joins Ambjor and I to discuss what an early intervention is and why it is the future for caring for your employees. We talk about strategies for choosing an early intervention company as well and how to make the right choice the first time.

Matt Weber, Fit For Work's National Director of Sales, takes us through a rapid-fire story of a company who's been innovating in their business sector since 1998. This simple statement is sending shock waves through their business sector: “We prevent people from getting injured.”Here's another: "Fit For Work achieves a 50% reduction in injuries and the accompanying costs."  If those statement don't seem earthshaking to you, it's because you're not a Safety Manager, Plant Manager, or a CFO. Fit For Work has shaken up their industry by changing the "injury equation," as Matt calls it. The old model is what I call “Break/Fix.” The successful model from Fit For Work is to      forecast the next injury before it happens because they go to the source of the injuries - the work place.

Ambjor and I talk with James Rethaber about the new program that FFW has launched called ErgoHome. We discuss how this service started and how it helps those that find themselves working at home. ErgoHome helps spot and correct ergonomic issues with simple solutions all with a personal human interaction.

In this episode of the Sedgwick back to business podcast we talk to Andrea Buhl about what fit to work programs mean as employees return to work.

Now more than ever, worker health is a key part to any successful business. Beyond the obvious connection to lost work time, healthy workers tend to be happier, produce more, and can be safer on the job. When a worker is out sick, it leaves the workforce short.  In order to address the problem, you must look at it from both ends. What happens when an employee gets ill and how employers help employees to stay healthy and not get sick in the first place.  On this episode, Dr. Delia Roberts, President of Fit Safe Solutions, digs into the impact of an employer health and wellness program and unpack its 4 key tenants. Relevant, Committed, Effective, and On-Going. Peter Koch: Hello, listeners, and welcome to the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast. Now, more than ever, worker health is a key part to any successful business. Beyond the obvious connection to lost work time, healthy workers tend to be happier, produce more and can be safer on the job. There have been numerous articles and studies done on how companies manage employees who are ill. And I'm not talking about an illness that's related to or caused by work. That's an entirely different podcast. I'm talking about a cold or the flu or a migraine or the effects of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stress, anxiety and even depression. Much of the news these days focuses on paid sick leave as a benefit to help people who are sick to stay home. This is an important part of the puzzle and it can help the worker to manage their illness, but it still leaves the workforce lacking, regardless of what equation you use to measure success. Employees are still a part of it. When you're short on staff, it throws the whole [00:01:00] equation out of balance. Successful businesses need workers and those workers need successful businesses. In order to address the problem. You've got to look at it from both ends. What happens when an employee gets ill? Do they have health care or sick leave, etc.? And this is a big and. How do employers help employees to stay healthy and not get sick in the first place? This is more than health insurance and a gym membership. It requires buy in commitment and accountability, but it can pay big dividends if it's done right. I'm your host, Peter Koch. And on the phone with me today is Dr. Delia Roberts, president of Fit Save Solutions and now retired professor at Selkirk College in British Columbia, Canada. We're going to dig into the impact that employer health and wellness programs have on the worker and the success of a business. Welcome to the podcast, Delia. Dr. Delia Roberts: Thank you, Peter. It's a pleasure to be here. Peter Koch: Thanks. It's really great to have you on the line today. We've [00:02:00] known each other for a while. I got to know you and your work initially through reading the research that you published regarding the replanters out in British Columbia and the resort workers in North America. And it actually moved me to take a class through Selkirk College that you had ran, which addressed employee productivity and safety through looking at data, biology, physiology and psychology. And then after that, knowing you a little bit more, I got to assist you in implementing the Fit for Snow program here in the east, for different resorts and kind of thinking about that the last time we talked. This is the 10th anniversary of Fit for Snow. This year is and it's been around for 10 years. Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, that's correct. We did a two year study that started in 2010, so the implementation phase is actually the following year that we started 10 years ago. Peter Koch: Wow. That's pretty amazing. And it's really that program in particular has [00:03:00] grown. And has it affected a number of resorts here in the east. And I know quite a few more out in the west. We'll talk a little bit more about that. What I found in your research, in your programs and the class, too. What stood out is how you correlated the relationship of work culture and employee health to performance results, such as like increased productivity and decreased injuries. So what I'd like you to do, if you can, is tell me a little bit about how you got started doing that research and how it evolved to what it is now, because you didn't start with the resource. You started with some other industries. Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, that's correct, Peter. And it's kind of a fun story, because when I first started this, the idea of worksite health and wellness or workplace physiology as part of safety was we didn't even exist. So I was a biochemist and I worked for about fifteen years with the Canadian Olympic teams. Again, [00:04:00] a very long time ago. So before the dawn of kinesiology and the man that I worked with was a very, very talented coach. So he had this inkling that there might be ways to truly monitor the adaptation to training and brought me on board as a biochemist to investigate that process. So it was a wonderful experience. And after I had my children, I moved to a more rural area in British Columbia to teach at a small college. But after a few years, I really miss the research aspect of it. And in my classes, I had quite a few tree planters and of course in British Columbia we have a lot of forests. And as they cut those forests down, the companies that do that are mandated by the government to reforest those areas. So they have a huge crew of young people generally who go out and [00:05:00] carry the trees up the side of the mountains and dig the holes and put the trees in the ground and then close the holes over. So the physiological load there is truly extreme. And these individuals who are in my classes retraining because it's just such hard work that they can't sustain it for very many years, started to talk to me about it. And I thought as a biochemists exercise physiologist, that it would be a very interesting work situation to evaluate and again the timing was good for me because at that time, literally one in five planters would suffer an injury that would knock them off work. So the forestry companies were interested in having a look at something that could help them reduce their worker's comp costs. So that's how it all started. And as [00:06:00] a sports scientist, it was important to me to measure what the workload actually was. So that was sort of the biochemistry physiology piece. And the planters are a rather unique culture. They work very hard and they live under quite strenuous conditions. So it immediately became apparent that if I was going to convince these individuals to look after their physiology, I needed to understand what motivated them. What kinds of things would speak to them from inside their cultures. And the other advantageous, peace. From my perspective was that the planters are paid by per piece, so they get so many cents per tree that they put in the ground. And that made it very, very easy to measure the outcome on productivity. So the [00:07:00] model that I have used ever since that time was to spend one year or one season monitoring, evaluating the workload, looking at the physiology, describing the type of person who would be employed in that area and the deficit. So the weaknesses in their physiology, where are they strong? Were they not strong? And then the following year, I was able to get enough funding to take three groups, control group and two test treatments and train them or apply those treatments prior to this season beginning. And then monitor them to their season. So we had very clear measurements then of what would happen if you had groups. Which one either prepared physically or the other big piece with nutrition hydration component. And [00:08:00] look at the outcome both in terms of the productivity or the number of trees they put in the ground. And then also the changes in those individual bodies in terms of injuries, but also more subtle measurements. For example, what was going on with their immune system or their ability to manage certain physical tasks appropriately? Peter Koch: Sure. So that combines a lot. You spent some, quite a bit of time trying to identify what the problem is and then try to really address those organically from the ground up by introducing different solutions for them. But I think you hit the nail on the head, too, by saying that you really had to convince them that this is the way to go, do it to make some  changes and you're able to show some success. So I would imagine that afterwards, after they saw the success of their peers, the difference in what happened or what was going on the previous year to the success [00:09:00] of the current year, that they were able to see that success and want to be on board more. Dr. Delia Roberts: Absolutely. So from the company's perspective, we were able to look at the number of recordable incidents in the different groups. And the nice piece about having a control group is that you have similar size, fitness, gender background, etc., people who are working under the same conditions and without the treatment. So, you know that the changes that you made are effective or not effective compared to no change. And what we saw right off the bat was a significant reduction in injuries. But interestingly, a huge gain in performance, because when you give people the fuel that they need to keep working hard. And also the physical capacity to complete that work, then [00:10:00] you have an advantage over an individual who doesn't have those tools out there. Peter Koch: Yeah. Their disposal. So, again, that's another interesting part, because many times when we start to look at a problem of, say, lower production or increased injuries, we tend to look at it as what kind of personal protective equipment or what sort of extrinsic solution can we provide, whether it might be a different tool or something, something else to help protect the employee from the hazard that's there. And in this case, you couldn't eliminate the hazard because they had to plant the trees. They were continually exposed to the level of physical activity in the environment they were in. There wasn't a whole lot that could be done to change that. So you addressed it through more of a wellness program. Would that be an appropriate frame for that? Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, absolutely. [00:11:00] So there are many, many occupations where people have to perform movements which are not ergonomically advantageous. So we can redesign the tool and shift the load. You can put a barrier in place to say, oh, the person can't go past this barrier. That would protect them from, let's say, some kind of mechanical injury. And you can ask them not to indulge in certain behaviors that might also increase the risk of illness or injury. But these are all external factors. And unfortunately, in the way of this world, often when you tell people they are not supposed to do something, it almost makes some effort to do that. Yeah. So there's that independent piece. But there's also the piece of people who have been doing it that way for many years find it difficult to change those habits. [00:12:00] So there's lots of reasons why those external pieces can reduce the risk to a certain amount. But they can't take it away. So when you give someone an intrinsic tool, what happens is that it combines together with their own personal perspective the way they approach things. And then it's in place 24/7. So it's not just there when the supervisors watching. It's not just there in the barriers in place or where it's convenient for someone to do something a certain way. It's there all the time when their mind is distracted by other things and so these intrinsic pieces which become part of a person's approach to doing anything. Protect them every day at work, all day. But it also protects them outside of work. So in terms of the decisions they're making about the other activities that [00:13:00] they engage in. Peter Koch: So describe a little bit more about what would be an intrinsic tool that you would help the workers understand or get a hold of? Dr. Delia Roberts: Absolutely. So the programs that I do usually take a two pronged approach. And one, as I mentioned, is looking at nutrition and hydration. So body needs fuel in order to perform physical work, but it also needs fuel to perform mental work. So the way our brain makes decisions is very much influenced by our physiological status. So when a person is in the workplace, whether it's a question of am I going to power this machine down before I reach in and pull that whatever it is out of the way? That decision can be influenced. Extrinsically by there's a barrier in place to prevent [00:14:00] you from putting your arm through that hole. But that barrier can be removed in many situations. So the intrinsic piece would be giving the person the ability to assess that risk appropriately, to see that it's not a case of, oh, if I turn the machine off, I am going to lose time and then I'll have to power down. I'll have to start it up. It's almost the end of my shift. I want to go home on time, etc., etc. Versus looking at it and saying the risk of me sticking my arm inside that home means that I'm going to maim my arm. And that's probably not a good decision. Therefore, I'll power it down. So the intrinsic pieces that the person understands the consequence of that and is able to correctly evaluate whether or not it really is a good decision to bypass the safety barrier and engage [00:15:00] in that behavior. Peter Koch: And you were able to correlate some of that with the person's well, their mindfulness, their physical ability to make decisions. So, you know, how turned on they are that day or that shift and that comes quite a bit from, well, not just the amount of sleep that they get at night, which is a cultural thing, but really the food and fuel, like you mentioned before. So part of that intrinsic tool has to be education, as well as talking about how food and fuel it would affect you, but also having some opportunity to get access to that good fuel as well. And hydration as well. Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, absolutely. So what happened was because I was interested in fuel for the tree planters, primarily because the workload is so high, I was looking at availability of that fuel in the blood. And what became [00:16:00] apparent pretty quickly was that when blood sugar is very low, people's reaction time and their ability to perform complex movements was impaired. And this is a physiological phenomena that's very well understood. We often talk about getting the hangry. So we well understand at least. And if we can't recognize it in ourselves, we see it in our partners or children that when they're hungry, when they haven't eaten or drunk any fluid in a long time, their behavior starts to pull off. So mood is affected. And the way we perceive our environment is affected. So with the tree planting group, that wasn't my main point, but it did drive home for me that fuel can also affect other things. And the group that I worked with immediately after the tree [00:17:00] planters was a group where decision making has very high consequences. So this was a group of mountain guides who work in British Columbia again, helping people travel through the mountains without getting hurt or being able to go and enjoy the snow, for example, heli skiing and avoid avalanches or terrain that could cause injury. So there's quite a bit of crossover between workers in those two groups. And so that group of people saw the progress from the tree planting perspectives and said, hey, we think this might be something that can help us. So when I started looking at that group linked between the availability of food and water, also brought in another parameter, which is that in many cases, groups which have time constraints on their activities or [00:18:00] believe that it's unprofessional to eat and drink in front of a client base may self limit. So even though there's water available, for example, to a physician in the hospital, they may feel that it's not appropriate for a patient to see them eat or drink. And what ends up happening then is that if that food is available, people may not partake of it. And the decisions that those people are making, the physician in surgery, for example, have very big consequences. So when we started investigating that more clearly, what we saw was the piece around decision making and that it's not just having a low blood sugar, but rather the normal pattern of eating in North America where we eat something sweet. It drives blood sugar up very quickly. We then release the hormone [00:19:00] insulin that pulls that sugar out of the blood. Blood sugars fall. And then we get this cycle of fatigue, confusion, maybe loss of reaction time. And so the person eats something sweet and drives it up again. So it's the variability in that curve going up and down which causes the problem. And when you look at different groups in industry, the access to food sometimes drives that. So a worker who's working on a production line only gets to eat at their break. So how many break do they have during the day in terms of providing that nutrition they need then end up eating larger meals with a lot of sugar that drives the blood sugar up. Two hours later, they have a crash in their blood sugar falling quite low. And yet they may not have access to food [00:20:00] during that time. So that can impact the way they approach their work, but also their physical capacity. So then they start slowing down. They start making more mistakes and it affects the productivity as well. Peter Koch: Yes. So affected the productivity and the quality in those pieces. Dr. Delia Roberts: Absolutely. Peter Koch: For sure. And you made a good connection there. Like, it's not just those physical jobs, like the tree planters or the critical decisions of your health care workers, your doctors, nurses or your mountain guides, but your production worker, the driver who is going to be out there driving for a package delivery service, or gees even the person who might be working at the convenience store that might be in a busy place and can't eat from a hygienic standpoint. I mean, the ability to make good decisions for guest service, for productivity, to manage safety things gets impacted. And you brought up the hangry, [00:21:00] which I like that term, because I think everyone has had experience with that before. But if you if you look at the hangry is not just from your attitude, but if you think about how when you're in that position and you are hungry and you might not feel hungry, but your attitude is changing, you're not making the same decisions that you would be if your blood sugar was stable at the moment or at a place where you had the fuel in order to make the good decisions. You're focused on different things. You're being irritated by things that you would normally be able to manage. And those big differences in lock out tag out decisions in following procedural decisions in when you're going to take a break or even fallen back to maybe old physical habits that you've had training to manage from an ergonomic perspective. That's a huge [00:22:00] connection there for workers and for employers to see that there is a huge benefit to make sure that employees understand their physiology as they are for work. Like, how does how does their work and how does their food and fuel consumption fit their work balance or their shift balance? Dr. Delia Roberts: Absolutely. So that kind of pulls us back to the cultural piece, because you can tell someone that that's the case. But if it's not something that fits into their perspective or their frame of reference and has value to them as individuals. And that change is going to take place. So, for example, in working with a group of long haul truck drivers, you can talk to them about the fact that the incidence of diabetes, obesity in a group like that is almost [00:23:00] 50 percent, even though the average age is only about 35. So it's huge health risks there in terms of heart disease and also diabetes. But no one believes it's actually going to happen to them. And yet if you give that individual the opportunity to see how it plays out in something that's relative to them. So, for example, being able to actually measure the change in their ability to respond to an unexpected visual stimulus. So this is a slow car pulling out onto the highway in front of them, an animal jumping out onto the highway. A patch of ice coming into a corner or an obstruction on the road. How long does it take that individual to move their foot from the gas to the brake? So we can measure that.  [00:24:00]Or we can model it by giving them a little test that they do. So they actually stop driving, pull over to the side of the road in a safe place, stop driving. And then they have a 10 minute test that they run on a handheld device where a light flashes on the screen and they have to tap a button or a light flashes on a screen. If it's red before green, they hit one button. But if it's yellow before green, they hit a different button. So they have to see it, interpret the information and make a decision which actually models real life much better. So we can show them that there's roughly a third of a second delay in their ability to respond when their blood sugar is fluctuating. So that doesn't sound like very much time, though, when a fully loaded big truck is driving down the road. That translates into about 40 [00:25:00] feet of stopping distance at 50, 50 miles an hour. So it's huge and it's going to make the difference between life or death. Peter Koch: Yeah, that's a really that's a great example of how to connect the results into the culture of these, to get people to understand that they need to be able to make a change. And you're describing one of the measurement tools you used with the truck driving program that you or the truckers that you've worked with, too. So this isn't, you didn't just make up that example. You actually used that in it. Was it fit for driving or fit for trucking? Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, that's correct. So there was a big study that we did with long haul drivers and looking at the impact of the nutrition and hydration on those individuals. So most of the programs [00:26:00] sort of have this fit to work sort of theme to them. So there was fit to plant for the tree planters and for snow for the ski instructors to drive for the drivers. And then I also have one that runs in the forestry industry. Peter Koch: That's fantastic. All fairly physical. And you might not think that the long haul truckers are physical. But I would challenge anyone to get in to the seat of a truck driver and spend the amount of time that they do there. It's a very, it's a physical job in another way. It challenges your body in very different ways than, say, your planters or your loggers might. But it still is very physically challenging. Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes, that's correct. And just some mental load on having to really concentrate for that period of time. They work very long hours and they [00:27:00] often have to do maintenance on their trucks afterwards. So a very high fatigue in that group. Peter Koch: Yeah, for sure. And what was their response for each of those groups that you work with when you were able to show them their deficit and reaction time with their blood sugar was fluctuating. What was their reaction? Dr. Delia Roberts: Right. So those drivers are professionals and they fully understand that consequence in terms of the risk of having an incident on the road. And again, it kind of brings forward a theme that I see. Every single group that I work with. So, for example, physician, Physicians fully understand the impact on health, of that fluctuation in blood sugar. Or let's say not consuming fluid. And yet the dissonance [00:28:00] between their behavior and their own health is huge. But you have to tie it to something that's relevant to that individual. So for the truck drivers, that difference in reaction time is going to determine whether or not, for example, they kill a family that's driving on the highway because those trucks are so big that whatever it is that they connect with, it is going to be severely damaged. And the same for a physician, they're not going to pay attention to their own health. But when you tell them that looking after their own health helps them practice better medicine, then they are completely on board. So that's a cultural piece of finding what it is that motivates an individuals. So let's say you have an 18 year old who's working at a ski resort for one season and they've come to that resort to have a good time [00:29:00] and see as much as they can and engage in meeting a bunch of other people and having a lot of fun. So that 18 year old is not going to understand how sleep loss will impact their risk of injury on the mountain. So you have to find something that motivates them. What can make them pay attention to these recommendations that will also keep them safe? And that piece can be a big challenge. Peter Koch: Yeah, it's that's a huge challenge. And it's different for not only every industry, but it's even different within the age groups to get them to not only see that there's a problem or identify that there's a problem, but the problem actually can affect them, like you said with the truckers and with the doctors. And I think more challenging, you know, when the decisions might not be as life changing as, say, it could be with a long haul trucker or with a doctor [00:30:00] or a nurse, but it could be career ending or at least season ending for ski patrol or a ski school person or a factory worker that makes a decision or a slow decision or the wrong decision for machine guarding or lockout and puts their hand or fingers someplace where it shouldn't be. And now all of a sudden, they lose the use of that or they lose it altogether, or the outdoor professional that blows out their ACL or has a significant back or head injury and now are unable to participate for the rest of the season or for the rest of their career, depending on their age. The significance of the injury? Dr. Delia Roberts: Absolutely. And no one ever believes that's going to happen to them. Peter Koch: Very true. Very, very true. And that's a barrier that you can't get through. But you can do a lot with education and using those real world examples and try to try and really to show [00:31:00] that the data between this is reaction time when your blood sugar is fluctuating and this is reaction time when your blood sugar is stable and see that. What are the consequences? Ask the questions. Try to get them to try to determine what the consequences might be if they're not choosing diet that would help stabilize blood sugar. Let me ask you, how much of a change did you have to make with these groups? From a nutritional standpoint to stabilize blood sugar? Was it an enormous change, like a life changing thing, or was it just a few things that they were able to modify on a regular basis to stabilize blood sugar? Dr. Delia Roberts: The changes are dependent on where that group starts from. So, again, depending on where you're working, you may have to take quite a different approach in some cases. You have a group who has had no education at [00:32:00] all in terms of nutrition, and they eat the foods which are either culturally presented to them or sometimes given economically. So, for example, working in a sawmill in southeastern United States, fast food is very inexpensive and yet to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, surprisingly, was very costly. So some of that was driven simply by an economic factors. in other situations you have a group which has, for whatever reason, picked up a certain approach to food. Which may be driven by something that's presented in the popular press and especially around nutrition. There are so many myths about what actually is healthy people can get very entrenched in that piece. So [00:33:00] all of the Fit to Work program focus on a basic diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, unprocessed high fiber greens and fat, which are more tending towards the unsaturated fats as opposed to animal based saturated fats. So it's a very basic, healthful philosophy that follows the recommendations by the different scientific organizations that study diabetes, heart disease, mental diseases and so on. The basic nutritional pieces. And I think it also brings home that one of the really important pieces is evaluating where you're starting from because you can't implement change unless you know what it is that has to change. So in the sawmill's, for [00:34:00] example, being able to look at what foods are available on site and then transition a little bit away from having packages of potato chips and candy bars toward foods, which has the potential to be perishable. So creating problems within the organization in terms of supply and demand, but are important to make those changes because they make a big difference in terms of what is acceptable to people. So it's not a simple answer because it's a complicated question. And it also brings home that point that there's no one size fits all. So it's dependent on the situation and where the people are starting from, what they have access to and what kinds of changes are going to be acceptable. Because if you go in and you simply say you can't have any of those foods that you enjoy or culturally [00:35:00] important your not going to make inroads at all people will just shut down. Peter Koch: That's a really great question. And when you were talking about culturally acceptable changes, I was thinking about my experience actually over in France a year or so ago and fresh, fresh bread everywhere. And could you imagine going into a particular company and talking about a diet that doesn't include bread? It just it wouldn't work. It just would not. People would not accept it, no matter if that was the best thing for them. They just wouldn't be able to do it because it's so culturally ingrained. And then the access, like some companies, if you wanting to start a health and wellness program. And part of that is information on diet and nutrition. Looking around at not just what you have available in your workplace, like [00:36:00] your vending machines, and if you have access to an employee cafeteria or a break room, what's available there? But if people go outside for their lunch break. What do they have access that's close. So if they have 45 minutes or a half an hour for lunch, What’s within walking distance.? Is it going to be the fast food pizza this? So you need to look where people are accessing their food when they're at work and they might be bringing it with them. So how do you help them make a good meal at home to bring with them at for their lunch break as well or where any of their breaks? So that identification of your cultural and your access to food it's a really key part. And I think that's where some of the health and wellness falls apart, you can provide some information education. But it only goes so far if the employee doesn't feel they have access or the ability to make the change because of expense or culture [00:37:00] reasons. Dr. Delia Roberts: So there are some specific incidences that I can share with you that we can come back to. But I would like to sort of capture this by saying that when you look at the health and wellness studies and now there's a huge body of science where there have been thousands of groups that have looked at implementing health and wellness programs and what works and what doesn't work. And when you look at them, there's a huge range of outcomes. So some of them fall flat on their faces and organizations have spent a lot of money and had no positive outcome. And in other cases you see very, very positive gains. So the return on investment can be as high as six to one because of lowered injury costs, lowered health care costs [00:38:00] and improve productivity. So these studies, which pool all of this information together and dissect what really makes a difference in terms of having a successful program. Come back again and again to four key points. And the first point is that the program has to be relevant. So it has to solve the problem that that particular group has. And I would emphasize again, and unless you know what the problem is, you can't provide people with a solution that's going to address their problem. The second point is that the organization has to be behind the program. So, as you said, you can't just offer a health and wellness program. Here's an address to something online or here's a pamphlet that you can use and information because that only is in  [00:39:00]the field of view for a few seconds. You have to stick with it. And management has to find a way to make it important to the people who are engaged in the program. So that's incentive for the workers, but accountability for the supervisors at all levels. You don't just hand it to one person on top of everything else that's on their desk. You actually have to invest in giving people the tools that they need to make it happen. The third piece is that you have to have effective communication and you have to expose your workers to it again and again and again. So not a one time thing, but rather you have to remind them all the time that this is important. And anyone who's ever tried to change behavior can understand where that point is coming from. And the final element [00:40:00] is that it needs to be ongoing. So there has to be support going into the program, evaluating what's working and what's not working, and then changing and re introducing or modifying and bringing new tools to the forefront. You have to keep on making it relevant as things change because the problem won't be a few years from now as it is now. So in my own personal experience with roughly 15 different programs that I've investigated to date, it seems to take about four years of repeat exposure before you really make that information intrinsic. And on the fourth year, all of a sudden, it's not this external program, but it's our program. It's what we do here at this site this [00:41:00] resort in this location. And the 10 year anniversary is interesting because this is the third program where on the tenth year we had a zero recordable incident year. So that's a pretty amazing place to get to for examples for tree planting when you think that it was a 20 percent injury rate to start. Peter Koch: Yeah, that's huge. Wow. Dr. Delia Roberts: But it does take 10 years to get there. And I, I don't think that there are very many organizations that realize, though, when they implement a health and wellness program, that they're looking at a minimum of four years to truly be committed before they're really getting to see that turnaround. Peter Koch: Yeah, I think you're right with that, with the companies that I work with specifically. And I think culturally, when we start to look at [00:42:00] the just the business culture in North America for sure, where it's not so much a program de jure, but we're going to try it if it doesn't seem to work within a short period of time. We're going to move on to something else that we think is going to work better. Instead of trying to look at like what you said, identify the problem, find a program that is going to respond to the problem and then stick with it for a long enough time to see the results. Because those four points that you made, the relevancy, the buy in of the organization, that's effective and pervasive communication to establish and continue behavioral change. And then it needs to be ongoing and not only evaluation. Those are all key parts to anything. But what we look at here with the wellness program, it's a long term cycle instead of maybe just a year cycle or a two [00:43:00] year cycle. Four years is a long time to put your money where your mouth is. But like you said it, six to one return potentially is enormous. Dr. Delia Roberts: It is when it's done right. The payback is huge. Absolutely. Peter Koch: So in your experience, where do you see the companies have the biggest challenge when they've identified the right or maybe they haven't identified the right problem, but they're looking to start an employee wellness program because they want to address some issues within their company on the employee side, where do they make the biggest mistakes or the most frequent mistake out of those four things that they don't do? Dr. Delia Roberts: That's a great question. So to me, I think the biggest mistake is expecting an H.R. manager or a health and safety manager who is already fully occupied with [00:44:00] their existing job to run a health and wellness program. You can't do it because in order to do it properly. You have to engage in those activities on a daily basis. And you have to be involved with the supervisors at every level for them to have the resources to be able to make those changes. So that to me would be the answer there, that not having enough dedicated resources within the organization to make it happen. So my group can come on site periodically, but we can't be there every day. And the kinds of changes that need to be made, need to be made all the time. The message isn't something that is applied in specific circumstances on specific days. The message that you're trying [00:45:00] to send is that this culture of safety runs 24/7. And so you have to have the resources to be able to do that. Peter Koch: That's great insight. And as you're talking, I'm thinking about, again, my experience with the clients that I work with. And I could bring up an idea and we'll talk about the implementation of the idea. And I'll explain that you have to have the resources behind it. And what they hear is I have to give this to my H.R. person or my safety person, and they'll be able to make it happen. And it falls flat because the safety person, like you said, or the H.R. person, or it could even be the supervisor that gets tasked with implementing this on top of everything else, like they aren't given any extra time. They're just given additional responsibility. And they'll focus on it for a little while and they'll try it. They'll get a program in place and [00:46:00] it will look good, but it will fall flat because they can't get back to touch it. They'll give it to that next level supervisor or the employees and the employees. Look at it go, this is great, but I need help. And help doesn't come and it doesn't get reinforced and it falls flat. So what a great lesson, I think, for employers to hear that putting that health and wellness program in together. You need to have not only the financial resources to do it. And there's really ways to make it affordable. But you have to have the human resources to make it successful. Dr. Delia Roberts: Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think that it's a question about training. So in any situation, in any organization, you need training time to make sure that the employee is able to do their job correctly and that training time pulls [00:47:00] away from production time. So there's always that balance between being able to provide enough training and cost to the organization and the time required to do that training. So unfortunately, you can have fairly large costs at the front end and then somehow expect that this hour in a classroom is going to have an impact on an employee six months later and it doesn't. Unfortunately, that training has to be ongoing and continuous. Peter Koch: Yeah, for sure on that. For sure. And like you said, your employers might see a fairly sizable chunk of financial commitment right up front and then it will all get wasted if you don't put the time and resources into it for the long term. So going back to that first point that you made in those four items that are required. The [00:48:00] program has to be relevant. It has to solve the problem that the group has. And sometimes you're trying to put resources into a problem that either doesn't exist or it's not the actual problem. It might be an effect or as a result of a problem someplace else. So you identify the problem and make sure that you have resources to put into it. And then you will see an effect. You know, we've both worked with some companies that have had significantly reduced injury costs and have seen increased productivity in the groups that they've put through programs like this or have incorporated a health and wellness program within their company. Dr. Delia Roberts: Yes. It's wonderful when you start to see those changes taking place. Peter Koch: Yeah, it really is. It truly is. And then you get to go back. And I think for you too, being able to go back a [00:49:00] number of years after one of these programs have existed with a company and get to see some of the progress that they're making and struggles at first, too. But some of the progress that they get to make and the successes that they have, that must be very rewarding for your perspective. Dr. Delia Roberts: It is Peter, and even more so, partly because where I live, it's a relatively small community, but this is actually happened to me elsewhere. So, for example, walking into a restaurant in Colorado and having the server say to me, I attended your training at a resort three years ago and it changed my life. And everything I do now is based on this ability to be healthy and stay fit and strong and make good decisions. And my family's health is better. So that's I think the other piece of it is that while [00:50:00] you touch people at work, you also reach their families. And when they leave that organization, they take those intrinsic changes with them. And that's probably the biggest joy for me is to be able to see that take place. Peter Koch: Yeah, that's fantastic. Oh, that that just must tickle your heart. Dr. Delia Roberts: It's pretty fun when it happens. Peter Koch: Yeah. Totally must. Just couple last questions here. What do you wish you had known when you started out? It's like you look back from where you are now to the programs that you started and some of the challenges that you had putting stuff together. What's one thing that you wish you would have known that you could have told an employer or an organization to help them be more successful? Dr. Delia Roberts: So I have a friend who works in sales and marketing, and he runs a consulting company where he goes into an organization and helps them analyze [00:51:00] where they should be targeting their sales initiative. So where are they making big sales that are very profitable? And when he works with an organization, he will not take a contract unless the organization commits to meet his training requirements. And on the multi year level, and if there was one thing that I could do differently, it would be to structure my programs along that model, because that's where it fails, is when an organization tries it for six months and puts no resources behind it whatsoever and then it fails and they walk away from it. And it saddens my heart that organizations are willing to put those kinds of resources into sales and not into productivity and injury prevention. Because [00:52:00] one of the really interesting exercises, and I'm sure you recall, Peter, during the course that we did together, was where I asked you to choose an injury, which is the most common in one of the groups that you work with. And then to cost that injury out and then the final step once you know what the total cost is. So not just the medical costs, but the costs to productivity and interruption of work in replacing the worker and so on, but also looking at what it would take from the organization perspective in terms of their profit margins. So once I know this injury actually costs ten thousand dollars or one hundred thousand dollars, now I need to know how many hamburgers do I have to sell to get the one hundred thousand dollars back. And it's truly shocking for an organization to see that amount. So you can say [00:53:00] if I could increase my sales by X percent, my profit would go up. And people seem to do that or to be willing to do that. What they don't realize is that, for example, a sawmill has to run 28 days to make back one shoulder injury or a ski resort has to sell 15000 lift tickets to meet back injury. And that's where the translation falls apart. So that was a long answer to a relatively short question. But what I would say is that if I had a way to do things differently, I would insist on a four year commitment upfront. And I do try to do that. But, of course, an organization will look at a contract and say, didn't do anything this year. I'm canceling in the second year of a four year contract [00:54:00] or the first year before your contract. Peter Koch: I think it's a great lesson, though, for anyone listening if they're thinking about health and wellness program. As part of their company is that it really needs to be there for the long term. It's not a one year wonder.  When they  look at the program, they should structure it such that they are going to, it's going to start at this time and we're going to re-evaluate at these times. But the success or failure isn't going to be six months, one year, two years, three years. But the success or failure identifier will be four years out because statistically, you've said that that's what it is. And I think that's a good lesson. Like, if you could have done that at the beginning and really worked that in maybe other companies would have found that model to be more successful for them or they wouldn't have struggled with it so much. So I think that's a great lesson  [00:55:00]for people to think about, because it's not a manufacturing process. It's not a I can push the button and I get 50000 widgets out of this piece of equipment. If I do it this way and I can do it in six months or I can do it in a week. Once it's installed, this is really it's what you're talking about here is culture change with commitments. And what you're getting from it is increased productivity, decreased injuries, increased quality of the product that you get to put out there. And at the end of the day, you get decreased absenteeism, which keeps your workforce stable. So you talk about blood sugar needed to be stable if you keep your workforce stable. I mean, the same thing happens when your workforce fluctuates, when you don't have enough, when it dips down to low. Just like the person trying to make a decision about the deer jumping out in front of them on the highway, they're not going to be able to react nimbly enough to avoid it. And if your workforce is too low and there's another shock to [00:56:00] your supply chain or there is a shock to or you get a big order, you know, success. You know, we have another million dollars of work coming in or I got a group that's coming to my resort. But if my workforce is too low, we can't respond well enough to have a qualitative product and the chances of us having injuries are even greater. So the results can really be beneficial. But you've got to got to stick with it for the long term. Like you said it was a long answer to a short question, but it wasn't an easy question. And I think you gave a really, a really well qualified answer for that, for people to take away from that, too. That's fantastic. So is there anything that anything that I didn't ask that I should have that something else you'd like to impart to the listeners here before we close? Dr. Delia Roberts: No, I think I think that pretty much covers it. I think the message is pretty clear that a worker [00:57:00] who is healthier, who is able to do their job in a positive light, is going to be a better worker no matter which perspective you look at it from. But it does require resources and support to help that worker stay healthy. Peter Koch: And the data backs it up. Like, if you can do these things, Dr. Delia Roberts: The data backs it up. Peter Koch: Data backs it up. You're right. Thanks again, Delia, for joining us. And to all of our listeners out there today, we've been speaking about workplace health and wellness and its impact on safety, quality and productivity with Dr. Julia Roberts, president of Fit Safe Solutions on the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast. If you have any questions for Dr. Roberts or like to hear more about a particular topic on our podcast, e-mail me at podcast@MEMIC.com. Also, check out our show notes at MEMIC.com/podcast where you can find links to resources on workplace wellness, as well as our entire podcast archive. While you're there, sign [00:58:00] up for our Safety Net blog so you never miss any of our safety articles or news updates. And if you haven't done so already, I'd appreciate it if you took a minute or two to review us on Stitcher I, iTunes or whichever podcast service that you found us on. And if you've already done that, well, thank you, because it really helps us spread the word. Please consider sharing this show with a business associate friend or family member who you think will get something out of it. And as always, thank you for the continued support. And until next time, this is Peter Koch reminding you that listening to the MEMIC's Safety Experts Podcast is good, but using what you learned is even better.  

John Groves, CEO of Fit For Work, joins the podcast again to take a deeper look at the early intervention drawer of service that Fit For Work provides, and how most importantly it helps improve employees well being and companies bottom line.

Both Kyle Mahlum and John Groves of Fit For Work take time to talk about the excited way they are developing the use of predictive analytics to help onsite providers know who is most at risk and even further prevent injuries in the workplace.

Our interview with Forrest Richardson, Safety Division Director at Fit For Work. His job is the help clients be complaint with Federal regulatory agencies and he gives very useful advice specifically on what OSHA expects, and how to use a safety audit to help make your workplace safer for everyone.

Have you got a new job and been asked to go for a medical?Employment law in the UK makes it illegal to use medical tests or questions as a means of stopping candidates from getting a job. Health enquiries should follow an offer of employment (subject to medical and references). Many are confused about when to ask capability questions because if say, a crane operator can’t stand heights then the interviewer (and the candidate), need to explore this from a practical point of view. Because of the difficulty employers have in recruiting and acting fairly in this area guidance is available from The Equality and Human Rights website that sets out exactly what you can and can’t discuss in job interviews.Unfortunately changing the name and the process has not taken away the belief that the OH professional decide whether people can or can’t do a job, that is, applicants are fit or unfit for work. This is not the case, in my career having done hundreds; I can tell you that only one or two applicants were ever medically unfit for a job. Most applicants are fully fit for the job and some need minor adjustments e.g. spectacles or blood pressure medication.WHY DO PRE-PLACEMENT HEALTH SCREENING:Establishing baseline health records (useful for measuring health when starting a new job and before exposure to health risks)Identifying reasonable adjustments to the work or the working environmentExplaining specific health risks and requirements for each jobComplying with health and safety procedures e.g demonstrating how to insert ear plugs, reporting health problems caused by workChanging of work role e.g. from a warehouse operator to a forklift truck driver where the health requirements may be more onerous e.g vision, hearingExposing new starters to the health and safety culture of a businessAssessing specific groups of workers for extra precautions e.g pregnant, young workers, asthmaticsRead the full transcript and an example of a simple health questionnaire on my website: Working Well Solutions Ltd: bit.ly/2ElVCGFFurther Advice and ReadingTelling people about your disability or health when applying for a job :bit.ly/2EkYbZFHow to report questions about your health or disability before you are offered a job :bit.ly/2EkBk05Reasonable adjustments for those with health conditions or disability :bit.ly/2EhcDS7

This is the second half of our interview with Keith and Tom where we discuss how their initial idea of Fit For Work caused them to make a lot of decisions to grow. We discuss how they were intentional in those choices, along with what they hope current and future providers always remember when working with employees.

We interview the co-founders of Fit For Work, Keith Adamson and Tom Tobin, and found out how we these two men were inspired and directed to keep employees from becoming patients. They share their insights on what they set to accomplish and also words of wisdom that they hope will continue to embraced by Fit For Work.

In this episode we interview Kyle Mahlum, the COO of Fit For Work. Kyle has been essential in helping grow Fit For Work, and he does that with his love of helping people. We discuss how he loves to see results and how both providers and clients can use the data collected by Fit For Work to make changes that take care of a workplaces most important asset, the employees.

We kick off our podcast with interviewing John Groves, the CEO of Fit For Work. John has had an exciting journey that started in his early days of health care of wanting to get ahead of injuries to help people not get caught in the endless cycle of reactive health care. We discuss how workplace injuries are the major portion of cost for companies, and how Fit For Work is helping companies lower these cost by having an injury prevention mindset.

Sharon and Ruth have worked all their lives but when illness and disability strike they both turn to the benefit system for help. As the government prepares to move disabled claimants onto Universal Credit, we bring you two more stories of people struggling to get the help they need. Main presenter: Helen Clapp Editing and production: Helen Clapp Music and sound design: Michael Edwards http://www.michaeledwards.tv/ Organisations and Reports mentioned in the podcast: Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K) http://z2k.org Statement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Poverty/EOM_GB_16Nov2018.pdf Welfare conditionality project http://www.welfareconditionality.ac.uk/   If you’ve been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this episode, get help and information here: St Paul’s Money Advice Centre: http://www.sph.org/get-involved/teams/money-advice-team Islington People’s Rights: http://www.ipradvice.org.uk/ Crosslight: https://www.crosslightadvice.org/ Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K): http://z2k.org/ Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ Cardinal Hume Centre https://www.cardinalhumecentre.org.uk/ Advice Services Alliance http://asauk.org.uk/ Follow ice&fire on Twitter / FB / Instagram @iceandfireuk iceandfire.co.uk podcast@iceandfire.co.uk Sponsored by Trust For London: www.trustforlondon.org.uk/ Please rate us and leave a review!

Sally McMahon first said hello to me when she sent a message saying 'Loving listening to your podcast, love your people-centred approach'.  You'll figure out that we have that in common not least of which because her title at Fit for Work Australia is the Chief Health Evangelist.  Sally is also the creator and host of only podcast I know of in the world focused just on work health, safety and wellness, the Fit for Work Podcast.    But as you'll hear in the interview, Sal is far from a zealot - she knows her stuff, she gets into the business case straight up, there isn’t any fluff about it yet she has an infectious passion for better people and great workplaces.  Download the transcript, my handwritten notes and your own reflection template at safetyontap.com/ep078

Enabling the return to work of employees on long-term sickness absence remains an ongoing issue for employers, despite the Government's decision to close the Fit for Work assessment service, following low referral rates. Eversheds Sutherland partner Naeema Choudry joins us to discuss what the demise of the service means for employers and the options available when assessing employees on long-term sickness absence.

Larry Benz comes onto the show today to discuss the topic of professional development outside of DPT education/clinical practice. Larry discusses his definition of professional development, advice to the clinician looking to progress their own  development, recommendations for development for aspiring educators, real world barriers to professional development, burnout and how to get out of it, how to help others out of burnout, and much more! Biography: Dr. Larry Benz, DPT, OCS, MBA, MAPP is the President/CEO of Confluent Health which includes the following companies: Evidence In Motion, Texas Physical Therapy Specialists, ProRehab-Louisville, Fit For Work, Breakthrough Physical Therapy, PT Central, The International Spine Institute, and the NeuroRecovery Training Institute. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in private practice physical therapy and occupational medicine. Dr. Benz's current interests include conducting research and integrating empathy, compassion, and positive psychology interventions within physical therapy. With over 150 invited presentations to PT programs, national conferences, and MBA programs throughout the country, Dr. Benz has been on APTA's Advisory Panel on Practice and The Board of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and is currently a Trustee with the Foundation for Physical Therapy, Physical Therapist Business Alliance (PTBA), and University of Louisville. He is the recipient of numerous business and physical therapy awards including the Kentucky Physical Therapy's Outstanding Physical Therapists award and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the year for his region. He is the co-developer of physicaltherapist.com, and blog.evidenceinmotion.com, a blog devoted to the principles of EBP in physical therapy. His Foundation is the co-developer of Jacmel Rehabilitation in Haiti which can be found at PThelpforHaiti.org. Larry Benz's CV: https://my.evidenceinmotion.com/SIS_DocumentRepository/1019_0_20160705082601_=_Laurence%20N%20%20Benz%20CV%2007June2016.pdf  Larry's Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/PhysicalTherapy  Larry's Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/physicaltherapist/  Confluent Health Website: www.goconfluent.com/  Evidence In Motion Website: http://www.evidenceinmotion.com/  Evidence in Motion Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-evidence-in-motion/id1133977524?mt=2 PhysicalTherapist.com : https://www.physicaltherapist.com/   

Jayne, Bob and Mary’s working lives came to a halt due to illness and disability. They share their experiences of the benefit system and the uncertainty and anxiety they face. Organisations mentioned in the podcast: Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K) http://z2k.org Read more about Jayne's experience here: http://inanything.com/disability-jaynes-turning-point/ More about Bob's story here: http://archive.camdennewjournal.com/heart-attack-back-to-work If you’ve been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this episode, get help and information here: St Paul’s Money Advice Centre: http://www.sph.org/get-involved/teams/money-advice-team Islington People’s Rights: http://www.ipradvice.org.uk/ Crosslight: https://www.crosslightadvice.org/ Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K): http://z2k.org/ Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ Cardinal Hume Centre: https://www.cardinalhumecentre.org.uk/ Advice Services Alliance: http://asauk.org.uk/ Music and sound editing by Michael Edwards: composer, film scores, television http://www.michaeledwards.tv/ Follow ice&fire on Twitter / FB / Instagram iceandfire.co.uk podcast@iceandfire.co.uk Sponsored by Trust For London

In our latest podcast we talk to our human performance expert Jim Constable about physical readiness. The podcast looks at simple ways in which organisations and individuals can build and maintain physical readiness.

On this episode of the Hot & Healthy podcast we cover:  - how your colleagues could be making you fat and sick - how you can sleep your way to being thinner, healthier, smarter - and bootcamps for brides! Sally McMahon (Chief Health Evangelist | Speaker | Author | Podcaster | Exercise Physiologist | Health Coach | Sports and Exercise Nutrition Advisor) for a fun and informative discussion. Tune in to this episode and share the show. Read the show notes and find out more about Sally's tips on how to be Fit for Work on the website www.NicolevanHattem.com - use this link http://bit.ly/HotandHealthyNicole

Welcome to the very first episode of the Fit for Work Podcast. If you’re a health, safety or HR professional or business leader that wants to take your workplace from good to great, then you’re in the right place. Through the Fit for Work Podcast, we’ll endeavour to serve you up a weekly FEAST of […]

Being fit for work has nothing to do with how big our cannons are! Series name: Keeping Healthy, Happy and Mobile Guest: David Hall Series Overview: To find out more about this awesome initiative, I have asked David Hall and Cris Massis to join me in a short series, where we break down specific parts of the program to get a better insight into the program. Tradies National Health Month is put together by the Australian Physiotherapy Association and it's designed to raise some awareness around issues relating to tradies health. Part Two: Fit For Work David Hall joins us in this episode of Toolbox Talks to talk about the factors behind being fit for work. As a exercise physiotherapist, David has a lot of first hand, practical experience with tradies that experience various types of fitness related issue tied to the type of work they do. Things like being taught how to lift correctly are some of the more obvious ones, however in this podcast, David dives deeper into some of the common issues that we often overlook.  Things like mental health, diet, obesity, inactivity, etc are all factors that one way, or another affect how fit for work an individual may be. We also touch on some of the leadership battles that come into play with management and supervisors. Head across to the Tradies National Health website and check out what they're up to. It's a fantastic program that's calling for support, so get involved. Link to part one of series See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eversheds partner Naeema Choudry joins us to discuss how the Fit for Work service can benefit employers, even if they already have their own occupational health provision. The Fit for Work service can provide free assessments for employees on sickness absence and can recommend steps to help them to return to work. We look at the referral and assessment process and the role of the return-to-work plan as part of an employer's absence management procedure. Presenter Susie Munro is joined by Naeema Choudry.

Deaths of people 'fit for work' Thousands of people are dying after being declared 'fit for work' by the government according to the Guardian. The figures are from a long awaited freedom of information release from the Department for Work and Pensions. But do the figures actually tell us anything? More or Less investigates. Sugar Sugar has had a pretty bad press over the last few months and seems to have replaced fat as the current 'evil' in our diets. We look at some of the claims that have been made about rotting teeth and the justifications for a sugar tax. Zero-hours contracts The latest figures show a 20% rise - but does this really mean that more people are on zero hours contracts thab=n last year? Queuing Backwards Britons love to queue, but have we been getting it wrong? Lars Peter Osterdal from the University of Southern Denmark discusses his theory of how to make queuing more efficient.

BBC Surrey talks to Disabled man from #Camberley in 'constant pain' and told he is fit for work

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