Work-Site Safety Program Targets Carpal Tunnel Injuries.

Intracorp, a provider of healthcare and disability management solutions, has developed a new program to help organizations prevent and aggressively manage carpal tunnel injuries--the most expensive musculoskeletal disorder experienced by U.S. workers today. The program uses pre-injury planning to focus on making workplaces safer and helping injured employees return to work quickly. The program is available in every state, and it meets the requirements of the recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration's ergonomics standard.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employees with carpal tunnel syndrome miss a median of 25 workdays, outpacing the lost work time caused by fractures and amputations. In 1997, more than 12,560 cases included at least 31 lost work days, and in 1998, the average cost of a case was $16,000, according to the bureau. "This program puts the focus of intervention where the injuries are," said Connie Miller, Intracorp's director of strategic markets and a certified ergonomist.

Intracorp's carpal tunnel program combines the company's experience in disability management with its ergonomic expertise, which focuses on the biomechanical capabilities of workers relative to their required job tasks. The program helps employers minimize the risk factors that lead to carpal tunnel injuries by analyzing the scope of the problem--such as number of cases, existent risk factors and problem locations. The program also establishes a plan for managing carpal tunnel injuries once they occur with the goal of minimizing lost work time.

"Managing carpal tunnel injuries is a race against the clock," said Intracorp's Nancy Wiese, national medical director, disability management "We can help both employers and employees win that race by quickly getting injured workers to a qualified physician, providing the physician with transitional duty options, keeping employees focused on return to work and finalizing transitional duty assignments."

To minimize repeat injuries, Intracorp's program incorporates a post-injury plan that builds upon the work done both prior to the injury and throughout its management. Returning workers will progress through transitional work duties--identified in the pre-injury plan--to ensure an injury-free return to work. Risk factors are minimized and outcomes are benchmarked to gauge program effectiveness.

Intracorp's ergonomics services include job analysis and work-site evaluation, ergonomic consultations, training and program evaluation. These prevention programs are designed to help employers curtail preventable injuries.