What is your workplace pandemic?

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers worldwide mobilized to protect their workplaces. But there's another pandemic lurking – occupational health threats. From ergonomics issues to cardiovascular problems, these workplace pandemics can be just as detrimental. Take the lessons learned from COVID-19 and apply them to identify, assess, and respond to workplace health threats. Make data-driven decisions, just as you would in managing a global pandemic. Work Health Solutions is your partner in creating a safer, healthier, and more productive workplace. Don't wait until the next workplace pandemic; act now.
community workspace with several people and computers

Employers worldwide have undertaken massive efforts over the past year to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The SARS COV-2 virus is truly a pandemic by definition, having a widespread impact around the globe and affecting every country on the planet.  Furthermore, it is a workplace pandemic, affecting businesses and employees all over the country. While we have become accustomed to seasonal influenza, cold viruses, and similar annual nuisances, the world hasn’t seen a global pandemic of this nature in over 100 years.

A Response to the Workplace Pandemic

In response to the pandemic, we all mobilized.  We started wearing masks, sanitizing surfaces, and using plastic barriers at our counters.  We implemented COVID response protocols, we tested, and we’re working on vaccination. Work Health Solutions has been a leader in the COVID-19 response. We provide solutions to:

  • State and local governments
  • Airports and transit facilities
  • Amusement parks
  • Fortune 500 companies
  • A host of employers, large and small

Additionally, we are providing those services in the United States, Canada, Australia, Asia, and Europe, and our COVID-19 services run the gamut, including screening, testing, policy recommendations, vaccination programs, and patient care.  In response to what we all have identified as a pandemic, employers have shown an incredible ability to marshal resources to address the occupational health threat that is COVID-19.

What if we told you that your workplace has another pandemic in it?  What if COVID-19 is not the only threat to your employee’s health and safety?

It sounds ridiculous, no? What other kinds of workplace pandemics could you possibly have? If we describe the scope of your “world” as the scope of your workplace, what illnesses have reached pandemic levels? In some workplaces, ergonomics issues and related injuries are a pandemic. Within some workplaces, cardiovascular issues have reached pandemic levels. In yet other workplaces, lifting injuries or repetitive strain injuries are a pandemic.  Certainly, these aren’t infectious diseases—but if they’re occurring with enough frequency in the workplace that you are losing productivity and incurring injuries, they can represent just as much of a threat to your employees’ safety as an infectious disease.

We’ve shown we can respond to occupational health threats in the workplace.  Are you doing enough to know what your occupational health threats really are?

Protecting Health in the Workplace

In one example, an employee suffered a workplace injury while operating a piece of specialized equipment.  The equipment was old and had very poor ergonomics, but it was very costly to replace, so it remained in use.  When the injury occurred, our team evaluated the injury and then discussed the equipment with the on-site environmental health and safety (EHS) team.  When the EHS team looked back at past injuries, they found that this one piece of equipment had generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of injuries over a multi-year period.  These injuries represented a huge percentage of the workplace’s OSHA recordable incidents.

Furthermore, our team was able to work with the employer’s EHS team to propose the replacement of the equipment.  The employer was able to identify that by incurring the cost of replacing the equipment, they could avoid a substantial number of injuries each year—and it would more than pay for the costs of the new, more ergonomic machine.  The employer realized that their workplace pandemic was an old, dangerous machine.  Their decision to replace it, founded on our review of their recordable injuries, saved money, avoided injuries, and avoided lost productivity.  It was also widely praised by employees who appreciated having a newer, safer, and more comfortable machine to use.

Identifying Your Workplace Pandemic

During our study of workplace illnesses and injuries, you can identify where your workplace pandemic exists.  A core component of our services is working to generate clear, accurate records leveraging our world-class IT and electronic health record system so that our clients can view key performance indicators and understand their return on investment in occupational health and so that they can view the objective data showing where their workplace pandemics exist. We give our clients the tools to intervene and create a safer workplace.

If you could go back in time and have a more informed response to the COVID-19 pandemic, would you?  What if you’re missing the opportunity for early intervention in the next workplace pandemic?

We Can Help

Contact us today to find out more about our services. Learn how to create a safer, healthier, and more productive workplace.

dfrieders

dfrieders

Chief Solutions Officer

About Us

Work Health Solutions is dedicated to preserving a safe work environment and improving existing programs and care for local, regional and national organizations.

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If you have questions about Work Health Solution's occupational health services or if you need to purchase bulk medical supplies, such as COVID-19 testing kits, please contact us.

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Dr. Glen Cheng

A physician-attorney with a dedication to healthcare innovation, informatics, and digital health.

  • Currently spearheads employee health protection and promotion within the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System.
  • Trained in residency at Harvard, achieving board certification as a physician; also a licensed patent attorney with experience as FDA regulatory counsel.
  • Co-founded Acceleromics, a consulting firm providing clinical and regulatory guidance to digital health startups.

Erin Davis

 Chief Clinical Officer at Work Health Solutions, certified in Adult-Gerontology (AGNP-C) and Athletic Training (ATC).

  • Oversees clinical operations and ensures high clinical standards across the company’s national field staff.
  • Former Manager of Clinic Operations and Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner at Stanford University Occupational Health Center (SUOHC).
  • Specialized in treating occupational injuries and illnesses, and provided medical surveillance and travel medicine consults at Stanford and SLAC National Accelerator Lab.
  • Dedicated to sports and occupational injury treatment and prevention.
  • Assistant Clinical Faculty at UCSF, mentoring students in clinical rotations within the Adult Gerontology and Occupational and Environmental Health Program.
  • Holds leadership roles as Treasurer and President Elect of the California El Camino Real Association of Occupational Health Nurses (CECRAOHN), affiliated with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN).

Dr. Robert Goldsmith

Founder and President of NBS Healthcare Group, with a focus on innovation in healthcare consulting.

  • Previous role as Executive Director for Employee Health at Novartis Services, Inc., leading health services and clinical support.
  • Instrumental in creating an integrated healthcare system at Novartis.
  • Former private practice in internal medicine in Stamford, Connecticut, and Medical Director consultant for GTE Corporation.
  • Transitioned to GE as a Global Medical Director in 2000.
  • Holds a medical degree from Albert Einstein College, an MPH from the University of Connecticut, and completed training at Greenwich Hospital and Yale-New Haven Medical Center.
  • Assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Vagelos School of Medicine, Columbia University.
  • Serves as a team physician for high school athletes in Stamford.
  • Published works on occupational health risks, primary prevention, and exercise-induced asthma.