Canadian Occupational Safety

24 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com I n 2009, Post Consumer Brands hired a new employee with a pre-exist- ing condition injury. This ended up costing the company more than US$700,000 in workers' compensation costs. Additionally, employees at the cereal giant's production and warehousing facilities wer e getting injured within their fi rst few years of employment. "We wanted a new process to avoid injuries and it was important that it was objective from a legal standpoint," says Bob Lambert, senior manager of environmental, health and safety for Post Consumer Brands in Lakeville, Minn. "We don't want people to get hurt and change their quality of life, and we don't want to adversely affect the company." Post Consumer Brands, which makes Shreddies and Shredded Wheat at its facility in Niagara Falls, Ont., decided to implement post-offer employment testing. As a result, workers' compensation incidents were reduced by 81 per cent; dollars incurred dropped by 90 per cent; and lost-time and restricted days decreased for employees in the fi rst three years of employment. Additionally, 2015 was the company's fi rst year on record without a single injury from an employee with less than three years of service, Lambert says. Post-offer employment testing (also known as functional fi tness evaluation or fi tness for duty testing) is a functional assessment of a candidate's abilities compared to the essential requirements of a job. It takes place only after a job offer is made — the hiring is conditional on the candidate successfully passing a functional fi tness evaluation. Existing employees are not evaluated; only new potential candidates. Employers across various industries — including manufacturing, oil and gas, heavy industrial construction, transportation and retail — are using these evaluations due to their ability to reduce injuries. The tests are very good at preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) — injuries caused by awkward postures, force and frequency that affect tendons, muscles, nerves and joints in the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. Workers' compensation boards across Canada report MSDs account for the majority of lost-time injuries. "There are people out there who don't have the strength or endurance to do the job and so it prevents these people from taking on jobs that they don't have the ability to do," says Elizabeth Chapman, kinesiologist and business development manager for Canada at BTE — the company Post Consumer Brands used for its testing. "And for workers who are screened and get hurt, the cost of injury and the length of time off work is reduced too. It's a win-win for both the employer and the candidate." Various studies have found signifi cant return on investment for post-offer employment testing. A study of employees at the University of Chicago physical plant found a cost-benefi t ratio of $18 saved for each dollar spent on a screening program. A food manufacturing plant reduced the cost of medical care for injuries from $70,000 to $10,000 annually, and lost work days reduced from 700 to seven annually. A large automotive employer in Indiana reported $2,073,000 in injury costs over four years for unscreened workers and a 23 per cent injury rate. This compares to $6,500 and a one per cent injury rate for screened workers. To determine if a functional fi tness evaluation would benefi t your orga- nization, start fi rst by looking at injury data. "It has to be predicated on a safety requirement," says Dan Demers, senior manager of strategic business development at CannAmm in North Bay, Ont. "There needs to be some evidence of injury either Establishing medical fi tness — which is completely different from functional fi tness — is common practice in the Canadian workforce. Post-hire medical exams address the hazard that common health conditions pose in the workplace. The goal of the assessment is to determine whether an individual is fi t to perform his job without risk to himself, others and the environment. Employees in many industries and roles are legally obligated to undergo health monitoring. These include: • employees handling hazardous substances • pilots, air traffi c controllers and fl ight engineers • commercial vehicle operators • designated positions critical to railway operations. • employees in the mining industry Aside from those fi rms achieving legislative or contractual compliance, other companies in safety sensitive industries are introducing medical exams as a new minimum standard of due diligence. By Amanda Silliker MEDICAL EXAMS MEDICAL EXAMS MEDICAL EXAMS n 2009, Post Consumer Brands hired a new employee with a pre-exist- ing condition injury. This ended up costing the company more than US$700,000 in workers' compensation costs. Additionally, employees at the cereal giant's production and warehousing facilities wer e getting "We wanted a new process to avoid injuries and it was important that it was objective from a legal standpoint," says Bob Lambert, senior manager of environmental, health and safety for Post Consumer Brands in Lakeville, Minn. "We don't want people to get hurt and change their Post Consumer Brands, which makes Shreddies and Shredded Wheat at its facility in Niagara Falls, Ont., decided to implement post-offer employment testing. As a result, workers' compensation incidents were reduced by 81 per cent; dollars incurred dropped by 90 per cent; and lost-time and restricted days decreased for employees in the fi rst three years of employment. Additionally, 2015 was the company's fi rst year on record without a single injury from an employee with less than three Post-offer employment testing (also known as functional fi tness evaluation or fi tness for duty testing) is a functional assessment of a candidate's abilities compared to the essential requirements of a job. It takes place only after a job offer is made — the hiring is conditional on the candidate successfully passing a functional fi tness evaluation. Existing Employers across various industries — including manufacturing, oil and gas, heavy industrial construction, transportation and retail — are using these evaluations due to their ability to reduce injuries. The tests are very good at preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) — injuries caused by awkward postures, force and frequency that affect tendons, muscles, nerves and joints in the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, Workers' compensation boards across Canada report MSDs account for "There are people out there who don't have the strength or endurance to do the job and so it prevents these people from taking on jobs that they don't have the ability to do," says Elizabeth Chapman, kinesiologist and business development manager for Canada at BTE — the company Post Consumer Brands used for its testing. "And for workers who are screened and get hurt, the cost of injury and the length of time off work is reduced Various studies have found signifi cant return on investment for post-offer employment testing. A study of employees at the University of Chicago physical plant found a cost-benefi t ratio of $18 saved for each dollar spent on a screening program. A food manufacturing plant reduced the cost of medical care for injuries from $70,000 to $10,000 annually, and lost work days reduced from 700 to seven annually. A large automotive employer in Indiana reported $2,073,000 in injury costs over four years for unscreened workers and a 23 per cent injury rate. This compares to $6,500 and a one To determine if a functional fi tness evaluation would benefi t your orga- "It has to be predicated on a safety requirement," says Dan Demers, senior manager of strategic business development at CannAmm in North Bay, Ont. "There needs to be some evidence of injury either Establishing medical fi tness — which is completely different from functional fi tness — is common practice in the MEDICAL EXAMS MEDICAL EXAMS MEDICAL EXAMS Functional fi tness evaluations can screen out injuries but must be done right to avoid human rights violations

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