Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) legislation requires that employers provide a safe working environment that is free from risk to employees or anybody else at the workplace. Consequently, employers require robust OHS management systems to ensure that they are meeting their legislative requirements, and that they are protecting the health and safety of their employees and other relevant people.

OHS consultants can assist you to identify to what degree you are meeting your OHS requirements, through OHS systems auditing or specific OHS-related risk assessments. Additionally, they can assist you to improve your current systems by writing policies, procedures and/or safe work procedures or in training your managers, employees or OHS committee members in OHS generally, or in specific areas such as manual handling.

The biggest factor influencing premium is the cost of claims. We focus on strategic management of existing claims using injury management and legislative tools to reduce the outstanding liabilities on these claims.

We also focus on new claims to ensure claim costs do not develop outside the normal recovery times for the type of injury.

If required we can also review your existing Workcover Industry Classifications to ensure your premium is being calculated using the optimal rate.

This depends on how you are currently performing compared with your industry and your current level of claim costs. We have reduced some client premiums by over 70%.

The pre employment screening will advise you of the potential candidate's physical capability in relation the job description of the specific role, allowing you to make an informed choice on the suitability of the candidate for the role they have applied for. Screening can be conducted for physical capacity, audiometry (hearing) and levels of prescription and recreational drugs.

Both the manual handling and fatigue training programs are designed to meet the specific needs of your organisation. Individual benefits often include an improvement in safety and well being. Organisations who implement and encourage correct manual handling and fatigue management often report a reduction in injuriefs and lost time as well as an increase in moral.

The manual handling tasks training can contain a variety of practical components to assist in facilitating behavioral change to address key issues identified throughout the training. We also focus on a hands on approach building on evidence based best practice ensuring that the practical component involved tasks that are relevant and meaningful to the participant and your workplace.

The fatigue training increases employee's awareness on fatigue management aiming to empower them to make educated choices about managing their fatigue levels. Training involves awareness of the causes and the symptoms of fatigues. Practical strategies that your employees can put into place at work and at home to reduce fatigue

By law, all employees must work in an environment that is without risks to their health and safety. For office workers, this requires that an ergonomic assessment is completed to ensure the employee's safety at work. Ergonomic assessments need not be too arduous and, in many cases, may involve the employee completing a self assessment using a checklist.

A more reliable method of ergonomic assessment is for another person to conduct the review. This may be one of your own employees, who we can train to perform basic workstation assessments in a comprehensive one day course. For more complicated cases, such as injured employees with complicated injuries, pregnant workers or those employees with unusual tasks, equipment or environments, it may be beneficial to request the services of an experienced health professional.

If your employer meets the WorkCover definition of a Category 1 employer then they must employee or engage an accredited Return to Work Coordinator. A Category 1 employer is an employer:

• Whose basic tariff premium exceeds $50 000 per annum.
• Is Self Insured.
• Who is insured by a Specialist insurer and who employs more than 20 workers.

Having a dedicated in-house RTW Coordinator is a cost effective way of proactively managing workplace related injuries and thereby minimising lost time and premium costs. contributing to more timely and effective rehabilitation for injured workers.

The following can be used as a guide to assist in identifying key signs that your team or workforce may be suffering from stress:

• Change in employees behaviour such as working different or longer hours
• If employees are reporting difficulty in coping or conflict with other employees
• Increase in absenteeism
• Increase in turnover
• Increase in workplace injuries or incidents
• If organisation or team is due to undergo significant change

An EAP provides a confidential face-to-face or telephone counselling service for employees to access information and support on work and life issues. An EAP also acts as a support tool for Management, Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety Teams.

An EAP can increase productivity through assistance with the management of the health and wellbeing of employees and an improvement in workplace morale. The services aim to minimise the risk of more serious psychological problems developing by giving employees access to support as soon as they identify any concerns or symptoms.

Successful Wellness programmes assist in improving the health and safety culture within the company. They provide employees with education and advice to empower them to make decisions affecting their health. Improved employee health will assist with a Fitter and healthier workforce; Improved employee productivity; Reduced injuries and workers compensation claims; Enhanced employee morale and job satisfaction; Improved employee recruitment, retention and loyalty and Reduced absenteeism.

In a busy world, employees rarely find the time to exercise adequately. People often lack the knowledge of what type of exercise they require, the pace they should exercise at and the amount they should do each week. An in-house workplace fitness programme offers employees a regular and convenient exercise option. Additionally, with experienced health professionals leading and overseeing the exercise programmes, employees can be safely supervised and guided in their exercise regimes.

The main benefit of the programme is that employees become fitter and healthier, experience less injuries and take less time off work for sickness and injury related reasons.

An Employee Immunisation Programme provides a proactive and convenient approach to reducing sick leave and subsequent loss of productivity due to vaccine preventable illnesses. All vaccines are administered by suitably trained and qualified health professionals. Vaccinations available can include Influenza, Hepatitis A & B, Whooping Cough and Chicken Pox. Further details of specific vaccinations available and immunisation programme timing can be obtained upon request.

Rehab One has been the leading provider of work conditioning programmes for over 10 years. We have established a reputation for service and quality, and are dedicated to achieving the best return-to-work outcomes for all injured workers.

Our philosophy is to collaborate with all stakeholders in the return-to-work team to strive for effective and cost efficient rehabilitation.

We are recognised in the industry for our passion for proven treatment methods and our understanding of the Workers Compensation system.

Rehab One professional development seminars are attended by many stakeholders to gain knowledge about best practice and to help us understand the specific needs of their industries.

As leaders in the field, we have also been invited to provide feedback on the new injury management guidelines by WorkCover NSW. We have also collaborated with the University of Sydney to carry out ground breaking research into improving the management of workplace injuries.

We have both male and female registered psychologists, who have extensive clinical experience in counselling and conducting assessments within an occupational rehabilitation setting. Our psychologists utilise evidence based practice including cognitive behavioural therapy and solution focused counselling methods. We provide regular communication and updates when appropriate.

Workplace Assessments are performed by our qualified consultants and include Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologist and Psychologists. The appropriately qualified consultant will provide you with independent advice and assessment of an individual's pre-injury duties, identify appropriate suitable duties for your injured workers, review of manual handling skills with tailored education and OHS advice as appropriate.

This type of assessment assists to identify appropriate new vocational goals for an injured worker if their medical or functional capacity prevents them from being able to return to their previous pre-injury role. If it is identified that the worker may need retraining to allow them to gain necessary skills to fulfill the new vocational goal and be competitive when job-seeking, we can also research appropriate training options.

A functional assessment uses scientifically validated tests to evaluate an employee's physical capacity to perform their pre-injury/illness role. This may include the potential for the employee to lift from a variety of heights (e.g. floor to waist level) and/or the capacity for performing prolonged activities (including sitting, standing, walking or completion of repetitive manual tasks).

Prior to the assessment, the consultant requires information about the specific tasks involved in the injured employee's role. Following the assessment, the consultant supplies you with objective measures of a person's work capacity in each of the relevant categories. The information gained from the functional assessment can assist in determining an employee's capacity to return to their pre-injury role, or may assist in negotiating an upgrade of the employee's current fitness status with a Nominated Treating Doctor.

Our experience shows that our clients can expect significant reduction in claim costs. A study conducted 3 years ago across our clients showed our impact.

• 70% reduction in weekly payments.
• 66% reduction in days lost.
• 42% reduction in Doctor costs.
• 43% reduction in Allied Health costs.
• 96% reduction in Occupational Rehabilitation costs.

Our Claims Managers are effectively an additional resource for our clients. They are highly experienced in the Workcover industry. Their main role is to advocate on behalf of our clients to the Workcover Agent and Workcover Authority.

This is to ensure:

• The best outcomes for our clients.
• To shortcut the bureaucratic process.
• To provide strategic directions in the best commercial interests of our clients.
• To keep the Workcover Agent accountable for the client premium.

Both individual and group job-seeking programmes can be provided and are overseen by an experienced rehabilitation consultant to assist the individual in gaining new employment.

Job-seeking modules cover target areas to address common issues and needs of job-seekers who have sustained an injury or illness:

• Resume and cover letter preparation.
• Job search techniques.
• Registration with Centrelink and local Jobs Network Provider.
• Cold Canvassing.
• Training on all equipment to support job-seeking.
• Telephone, letter writing and interview techniques.
• Disclosure of injury.
• Mock Interviews.

Referrals to a Work Related Activity Programme are appropriate when the following situations arise -

• There is insufficient suitable activity available in the workplace to meet the worker’s total activity needs through the return to work plan.
• Acute treatment methods are no longer resulting in functional improvement.
• The injured worker has not returned to pre injury duties and hours.
• The worker has psychosocial risk factors and/or delayed recovery.
• Activity levels are not progressing and/or fluctuate widely.
• The worker requires a high level of supervision, instruction and reinforcement.

...and how does it differ from other types of counselling?

Rehabilitation counselling is a specific type of counselling aimed injured workers to support them with issues that may affect their return to work throughout the course of their occupational rehabilitation.. Counselling can include motivational counselling, adjustment to disability counselling or counselling to identify suitable job options where a vocational assessment is not required. The counselling is provided by a qualified Rehabilitation Counsellor or Registered Psychologist.

Rehab One Physiotherapy offers an acute treatment service, which means you can refer the injured worker from the date of injury.

If your injured worker has been receiving symptomatic treatment from a local practitioner (e.g. physiotherapist, chiropractor) for more than 4-6 weeks and remains unable to upgrade at work, a Rehab One initial assessment can determine whether the injured worker would benefit from a tailored Work-Related-Activity programme.

Rehab One Physiotherapists and Psychologists are experts in managing persistent/chronic pain. We have extensive experience in dealing with the complexities of long term cases where injured workers have been unable to resume their pre-injury duties for months or even years, since their original injury.

An injured worker should be referred for physiotherapy by the treating doctor as soon as possible after injury if the worker is experiencing pain or disability and this is affecting their ability to work or perform normal daily activities.