An athletic trainer (AT) is a health care professional that has the skillset to assist in the prevention, examination, treatment, and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic conditions/injuries while on the playing field…in the occupational setting that field is the manufacturing floor. An AT can help keep employees safe and productive while you keep your company productive and profitable.
You may be asking “Why would employees in the manufacturing setting need an athletic trainer?” Employees (we like to call them Industrial athletes), much like professional and collegiate athletes, have high work intensity and heavy physical demands. Unlike professional/collegiate athletes, industrial athletes have longer “performances” (working hours) and less resources to help take care of their body while they are competing. Preparing your industrial athletes (employees) for their work can help your team win; by getting an athletic trainer on-site you can protect your athletes as if they were professional athletes.
You may be thinking “I can’t afford to treat my employees as if they were professional athletes” but the truth is…you can and you should!
Did you know that just one back strain costs a company approximately $62,000 in direct and indirect costs? Just imagine the amount of money spent when a company incurs more than one injury per year. Did you also know that in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were:
- 266,530 cases involving sprains, strains, and tears
- of those cases, 128, 220 cases involved the back
- there were also, 211,640 cases involving slips, trips, and falls
Most of these documented injuries are preventable and athletic trainers can help!
In an NATA survey, companies reported a 100% positive ROI for having an athletic trainer on-site: more than 90% of respondents indicated employee days away from work decreased by 25% or more at their company; almost half of the companies had emergency room costs reduced by 50% or more and more than 50% reported a decrease in costs associated with workplace injuries.
If you ask me, an Athletic Trainer working in the industrial setting, I think you should give your industrial athletes the resources to protect them like a pro. By utilizing an Athletic Trainer in an occupational setting, you will be providing additional resources that will promote safety and productivity for your team while your company becomes even more productive and profitable…sounds like a Win-Win to me!
Let me know if you have any questions about utilizing Athletic Trainers in manufacturing facilities. I would love to share my experiences of working on-site as well as working as an Injury & Illness Prevention Specialist for TRS|Wellness with you!
IIF Latest Numbers : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
Occupational Health | NATA
