Reducing Injuries with a Workplace Wellness Program

What Was the Need?

This was a research project the Department of Transportation worked on.  Please click here to see there full article.

For Mn/DOT workers who perform laborious tasks, the most common on-the-job injuries are strains, sprains and other musculoskeletal disorders caused by overexertion or awkward postures. While Mn/DOT is committed to reducing such injuries, work conditions differ significantly among field workers, making it difficult to establish standard procedures that minimize overexertion.

However, it is possible to reduce the frequency of such injuries by improving the overall fitness of field workers. To do so, agencies typically use workplace health promotion and wellness programs, which educate employees about beneficial lifestyle changes. While some Mn/DOT districts have informal workplace wellness programs focused on stretching and nutritional education, Mn/DOT does not currently have a formal, departmentwide program in place.