Good work is good for you
I am a strong advocate of good work! The real challenge is to understand what is “good work”!
Let’s say an able-bodied 35 years old man lifts a 50 kg concrete slab and suffers from a prolapsed disc. He has a successful discectomy and is ready to undergo Physiotherapy and participate in an Occupational Therapy guided graduated return to work programme. To return him to his pre-injury role where he will again lift 50 kg concrete slabs all by himself!
How is that “good work”?
The Ergonomist in me screams out NIOSH Lifting Equation in utter despair. We know that lifting 50 kg is not safe. Even many Airlines have 23 kg limits for checked in bags!
This work at this workplace is designed to produce ongoing prolapsed discs. We need to fix this work first.
The Occupational Physician in me says this worker must not return to this job till the job is rectified.
The Public Health doctor in me says let’s do upstream intervention. So each such injury leads to preventative action to prevent future such injuries from this work at this and similar workplaces. Only downstream intervention of one injured worker at a time won’t solve the problem.
My Business Management education says let us look at ROI! Return on Investment! The best way to invest our health dollars surely is in healing this worker, not letting him be injured again AND preventing others being injured doing this work at this and similar workplaces! Surely!
Let’s intervene upstream too!