WORKPLACE INJURY PREVENTION - A FIT FOR WORK PODCAST: Recent Episodes
Curtis Kopotic and Ambjor Brown
On this podcast we will have candid discussions on the many facets of Workplace Injury Prevention such as Onsite Intervention, Safety, Ergonomics, Pre-Employment Testing and Total Population Health. Fit For Work™ is an Injury Prevention firm that partners with companies to deliver a 50% reduction in injuries so they can focus on their business. Our mission is to share as much knowledge as we can so that we can help your workplace be healthier and safer. Thank you for listening!
In the latest episode of the Workplace Injury Prevention Podcast, we are joined by Josh Morris, CEO of DQS, to discuss the connection between talent placement and workplace safety and how the two can work together to ensure a healthier, more productive, and more fulfilling environment for employees.
In the latest episode of the Workplace Injury Prevention Podcast, we are joined by Jacob Wilkins, Fit For Work Ergonomics Specialist, to discuss wearable technology in the workplace, the role it can serve within your safety program, and how it should be paired with onsite, human-to-human interaction in order to maximize its impact.
School is back, and at Grandview C4 School District in Kansas City, MO, it’s back and better than ever thanks to an investment in an Ergonomics Subscription project with Fit For Work. Janet Melton, the district’s Senior Wellbeing Coordinator, joins the podcast to discuss the project from the first step to the ongoing implementation and everything in between.
Together, Fit For Work and VelocityEHS offer an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to quickly scale implementation, training, onsite assessments, and adoption of ergonomics and health solutions into their business. Rick Barker, leader of Principal Solutions Strategy at VelocityEHS, joins the podcast to discuss how this partnership is generating a transformational approach to ergonomics and injury prevention.
An aging workforce is the reality for many industries and businesses in today’s world. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH, CHES, and Associate Professor at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, joins the podcast to share his research and insight into understanding and empowering this demographic, as well as to discuss the benefits older workers can bring to their company and their fellow team members.
The proper testing protocol is key to preventing injuries and to mitigating costs associated with injuries when they do happen. Chase Feeler, PT DPT, who is the Director of Functional Testing at WorkSTEPS, joined the podcast to discuss Fit For Duty testing and how it can enhance the hiring process, mitigate injuries and their associated costs and, most importantly, put team members in position to be safe and productive.
Dr. Jerroed Roberson, PT, DPT and Fit For Work Employment Testing Provider, joins the Injury Prevention Podcast to talk about the process and benefits of employment testing and how it will lead to a healthier, more productive workforce. Meaningful work that impacts lives is Fit For Work’s motto and Dr. Roberson explains how he and his colleagues bring that to life every day for clients and their employees.
Wendy Chelette, Fit For Work Director of Employment Testing, joins the podcast to define and discuss the various forms and stages of employment testing as well as to offer insight into the changing landscape of the workplace and of the work itself.
Being a Safety and Facilities Manager puts one right at the heart of the relationship between efficient production and wall-to-wall safety, and Tyler, a Fit For Work partner, joins the podcast to discuss that and much more.
OSHA has issued new enforcement guidance with a focus on instance by instance citations and high gravity violations. Fit For Work Director of Safety Division Forrest Richardson, CSP, ARME, joins host Mike Wobschall to break it all down and provide insight and tips to ensure businesses remain in compliance and continue to promote safety.
Dr. Ben Hoffman, MD, MPH and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for WorkSTEPS, joins host Mike Wobschall to discuss the growing role of the Chief Medical Officer in companies throughout America and how this is helping to make safety and health a priority in the workplace.
What's a cobot? The latest edition of the Workplace Injury Prevention Podcast discusses that and much more from the world of Ergonomics as FFW Director of Ergonomics Lauren Brizendine, MPH, CPE joins host Mike Wobschall.
Dr. Ros Daywalker joins the new host, Mike Wobschall, to discuss the exciting and evolving topic of "Total Worker Health". This is more than just a phrase. It's a new field of research in which Dr. Daywalker is a leading expert. This is the first of many topics on the subject, and specifically is part 1 of 2-part interview covering the matter.
Dr. Ros Daywalker joins the new host, Mike Wobschall, to discuss the exciting and evolving topic of "Total Worker Health". This is more than just a phrase. It's a new field of research in which Dr. Daywalker is a leading expert. This is the first of many topics on the subject, and specifically is part 1 of 2-part interview covering the matter.
Ambjor and Curtis will be moving on from podcast host duties so they do an introduction and let you get to know the new host, Fit For Work Director of Marketing, Mike Wobschall. He shares his experience along with some themes you can expect to be covered as this podcast continues. Mike will become the full-time host by the end of 2022.
Eric Gislason, Executive Director of National Association of Safety Professionals and Dr. James Rethaber, Vice President of Technical Operations at Fit for Work, share their expertise regarding the role ergonomics plays in workplace injuries and how to identify those risk factors to keep your employees safe and healthy. They also highlight a 2 days conference that is occurring October 5th - 6th, 2022 in Orlando Florida that will be covering this exact topic.
Ambjor and Curtis talk with Alex Buban, who is an Environmental Risk and Safety Manager, to discuss his experience as a young profesional entering the safety profession. Alex gives advice to those looking into the field, along with the fulfillment that being a safety professional provides. He also covers advice that anyone with any level of experience can apply to make safety a positive experience at your site.
Curtis and Ambjor discuss with Forrest Richardson, CSP, ARME, a case study on what neglecting machine guarding cost both a company and their employees. Forrest gives great advice on how to avoid pitfalls as well as how to simply and systematically make changes to keep employees safe and make sure your worksite is compliant with national regulations.
Ambjor and Curtis interview Dr. James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE, LSSMBB, to have him answer frequent questions about job rotations, such as: Is it worth the hassle, what are common mistakes to avoid, and how quickly can I see benefits? James shares what he has learned in 15+ years experience and research to help you save time and money when implementing job rotations at your worksite.
Eric Gislason, Executive Director of National Association of Safety Professionals and Dr. James Rethaber, Vice President of Technical Operations at Fit for Work, share their expertise regarding the role ergonomics plays in workplace injuries and how to identify those risk factors to keep your employees safe and healthy.
Ruth Neuman, PT, MBA/HA, CEAS II, REAS, PMEC, Senior Ergonomist in Workforce Safety at Northwell Health has dedicated her career to improving ergonomics as well making those improvements accessible to all the workforce in simple and effective ways. She gives us tips and tricks by sharing her knowledge on how to increase the success of ergonomic initiatives at your worksite.
Forrest Richardson, CSP, ARME, is with Ambjor and Curtis to answer the frequently asked question of how to stay motived as a safety professional who is in charge of motivating others to be safe. We discuss clear and simple solutions you can use as a motivator to keep the safety culture high at your Business.
Stephanie Stiles, ATC, has over 8 years experience onsite with seasonal workers in the road construction industry. She answers some frequently asked questions for us today on best practices for returning employees to work after seasonal layoffs, which can be applied to extended leaves and even to new hires that have not worked in a physical job setting.
Considered to be the pioneer of post-offer pre-employment testing, Larry Feeler, PT, CEAS, NRCME, discusses the value of the DOT physical while also doing post-offer pre-employment functional testing. As the CEO and founder of WorkSTEPS, Larry shares experiences and analogies gathered in his over 35 years in the business, painting a picture that when done together these tests can help reduce injuries and work comp claims while increasing productivity.
Considered the father of Post Offer Testing, Larry Feeler, PT, CEAS, NRCME, joins the podcast to give clear and simple answers to common questions about post-offer testing in the workplace. He shares his 30+ years of experience to give you the insight to understand how post offer testing can be a long-term value at your workplace.
Ambjor and Curtis have a great discussion with two experienced Injury Prevention Specialist, Andy Accacian and Rachel Beck. Both have combined for over 10 years of focusing on early intervention and they share how using simple action items focused on prevention will make your workforce healthier and more productive.
Ambjor and Curtis talk with James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE, LSSMBB, Vice President of Technical Operations at Fit For Work, about the current state of wearable technology in the industrial setting workplaces. We find out some what the most up to date research is saying about long-term effects of wearables and what using both exoskeletal and data capturing technology can, and cannot, do for your employee.
Start your new year off right and stay on track this year! Forrest Richardson, CSP, ARME, and Safety Division Director of Fit for Work, outlines the top 3 OSHA regulations to pay attention to in 2022.
2021 was a crazy year but your workforce keeps pushing forward. Forrest Richardson, Certified Safety Professional and Director of Safety at Fit For Work, summarizes the top 10 OSHA citations of 2021 so you can learn from others and avoid the same mistake.
OSHA enforcement can be a nerve racking topic. Certified Safety Professional and Director of Safety at FFW, Forrest Richardson, joins us to dispel 3 common misconceptions regarding OSHA enforcement, how this affects your workplace safety and employees.
Dr. Ben Hoffman, the Chief Medical Officer for WorkSTEPS discusses the "seasonal flu" in light of the SARS-COVID world we have all been navigating. We talk about how understanding the real purpose of vaccines can help correct misunderstandings and what are real vs. over simplification solutions for you and your workforce.
Dr. John Groves, DPT and CEO of Fit For Work, discusses the common misunderstandings that occur with injuries in the workplace. We talk about how every injury is complex, not complicated, and what simple changes you can make in your approach to improve safety at your workplace.
Michael Escobar, Mid-South Regional Director for Fit For Work has been responsible for setting up several simple and effective "training camps" at multiple locations over the past 15 years. He shares great tips on how to succeed in this one aspect of improving safety, along with how to avoid common mistakes that can derail your efforts.
Jessica Herrera, one of the Area Directors of Fit For Work with over 10 years experience in the industrial setting, gives her answers to the question: What are some easy ways to improve the safety culture at my workplace? Her three ideas are simple, actionable, and make a difference.
A panel of Fit For Work safety experts, Jessica Herrera, Michael Escobar, Forrest Richardson, and James Rethaber, have a great discussion with Ambjor and I about the challenges that employers face in hiring and retaining employees, and how different safety methods can improve hiring and employee retention.
Ambjor and I talk about what the OSHA safe and sound week is, and how using the resources available at osha.gov/safeandsoundweek will help you better serve your employees and community at large. Start off safe and sound week by listening and sharing this episode to get the message out.
Dave Thomas, the owner and founder of REPSS (A gas detection company that started in 1981) shares his decades of experience in confined space gas detection. Ambjor and I discuss with him some easy tips about avoiding mistakes that can be applied to any work setting.
Eric Gislason, Executive Director of the newly accredited National Association of Safety Professionals, talk with us to get an overview on what this organization has to offer safety professionals. He also shares great ideas on making training employees effective at your worksite.
Asha Roy, Program Manager for Safe Patient Handling and Mobility, and Paul Power, Director of Operations for the Workforce Safety Department, work for Northwell Health System, which is the largest health care system in New York State. They discuss how they have implemented an innovative and fun way to do refresher training for patient handling which drastically reduced musculoskeletal injuries. They also share how the principles learned can be implemented into any manual handling setting to reduce sprains and strains.
Forrest Richardson, CSP and Safety Division Director at Fit For Work, talks with Ambjor and I to discuss the three best areas to spend your money to be make changes to be OSHA compliant and avoid fines. Quick and simple ideas that will help make a difference quickly.
June is National Safety Month, and John Dony, Senior Director of Though Leadership and Director of the Campbell Institute at the National Safety Council talks with us about what the Campbell Institute is and the resources they have available to make a positive improvement in safety at your workplace.
Forrest Richardson, CSP and Safety Division Director at Fit For Work, talks with Ambjor and I in a quick review of the OSHA Top 10 citations and gives some golden nuggets of information about how the pandemic effected OSHA and workplaces.
Dr. Mark Benden, PhD, Department Chair and Director of the Ergonomics Center at Texas A&M University, Provides amazing insights on how working at home can be ergonomically friendly and tips on making it easy for you. He also discusses research on how to a workstation set up drives productivity and profits.
Lauren Brizendine, CPE, Director of Ergonomics at FFW, spends a few minutes with Ambjor and I, to talk about a common question, what is better for you to do at a desk, sit or stand?
Jarett Peikert, Lead Pain Science Researcher at Fit For Work talks about a few specific examples when employees understood pain science and when there was a communication brake down. He gives great tips on how to make your word choices positive to give the best chance for positive outcomes.
James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE and Director of Ergonomics at Fit For Work, puts Ambjor's and Curtis' ergonomic knowledge to the test with true or false questions. Have fun playing along and see how your ergonomic knowledge is, and where it can improve.
Industrial Hygienist Mwangi Ndongale and Kyle Krueger, hosts of the Probability Matters podcast, join us to discuss how technology is being used to make workplaces safer, along with tips on how to implement technology while keeping the correct perspective to make it effective. We also discuss how their podcast drives meaningful conversations on tech in the workplace.
Forrest Richardson, Certified Safety Professional and Safety Director for Fit For Work talks with Ambjor and I about what changes are coming from OSHA so you can get ahead of them. He makes learning about these rules simple and easy to understand the core purpose for them, as well as where anyone can learn more about them.
Forrest Richardson joins Ambjor and Curtis to guide us all through OSHA budget. Forrest helps show how looking at their budget helps companies see what OSHA is prioritizing for the coming year. He throws in some great information on staying compliant through the Covid-19 pandemic as well.
Dr. Ben Hoffman of WorkSteps brings us up to speed on where we are with the Covid 19 vaccine and what employers and employees can do to keep our workplace safe.
In this shorter and final episode Ambjor and Curtis highlight episodes from 2020 and give some topics that we will be diving into for 2021. It has been a great year and we look forward to another great year in 2020.
Denise Reaves, founder of BalancedYou has practiced Yoga and meditation for over 30yrs and has run her own wellness company for 10yrs. She enlightens us with how easy it is to be more present and how being present improves safety and reduces injuries.
We have our first panel discussion about health care professional working in the industrial setting as injury prevention specialist. Anna Gibilisco, Colin Zuber, and Marco Nunez all share how they got into the setting, and what this setting provides them compared to the more traditional settings.
Todd Foushee, VP of PMR Health Care, talks about how companies can bring primary health care to their company and how this drastically improves the quality of care their employees receive, all why reducing the long term cost of healthcare for the company.
Ambjor and I interview Joe Kutach and learn about his experience as a EHS auditor for FFW. He reviews the do and don'ts of making any company compliant with EPA standards and makes it enjoyable to do as well.
Kathy Seabrook of Global Solutions joins the podcast to talk about the concept of employee sustainability. We talk about how making the workplace and environment something employees can feel safe and comfortable in helps improve a company's financial and non-financial costs, all while making them more prepared to be a success now and for the future.
John Groves, CEO of Fit For Work, and Kyle Mahlum, COO of Fit For Work discuss in more details about Early Intervention and the way Fit For Work is utilizing technology to serve its clients so they can see tangible results of reducing injuries at their workplace.
John Groves, CEO of Fit For Work, joins Ambjor and I to discuss what an early intervention is and why it is the future for caring for your employees. We talk about strategies for choosing an early intervention company as well and how to make the right choice the first time.
We get to learn from Forrest Richardson about the importance changes that are coming from the Department of Transportation that will be affecting all companies that operate in the USA. He shares his key changes and overall tips to implement the new rules.
Jarett Peikert, Onsite Injury Prevention Specialist and leader of Pain Science within FFW joins the podcast to discuss what Pain Science is, how it reduces injuries and ways YOU can easily leverage it to improve your OSHA 300 log after listening to this podcast.
Ambjor and I talk with James Rethaber about the new program that FFW has launched called ErgoHome. We discuss how this service started and how it helps those that find themselves working at home. ErgoHome helps spot and correct ergonomic issues with simple solutions all with a personal human interaction.
Rob Wainner is on the podcast today to talk about leadership and provides simple tips on how each person can be an effective leader for themself and those around them
We talk with Cassidy Barton who is the director of the WorkSteps foundation. While the foundation is still in the development stages and will be launching next we talk about how this foundation is seeking to fill in the gaps experienced by those with disabilities trying to enter the workforce.
Matt Hart, of Soter Analytics, joins the podcast to discuss his companies new wearable technology that is able to track proper lifting mechanics with a simple device, and how using this device can make a service such as FFW even more effective in preventing musculoskeletal injuries.
We are joined again by Forrest Richardson, who shares what companies need to know about managing COVID-19 concerns while remaining OSHA compliant. His knowledge as a Certified Safety Professional and an Associate Risk Management – enterprise shares clear information and resources.
Ron Porter and Matt Jeffs of the back school discuss two certificate programs they have for anyone to learn how to do ergonomic evaluations. The CEAS teaches general ergonomics and the REAS is very useful now in focusing on virtual ergonomics to evaluate at home workstations.
Dr. Ben Hoffman joins Ambjor and I to discuss the pandemic that is affecting the world. He gives up to date information along with simple tips to keep the workplace as safe as possible during the unprecedented time.
Ambjor and I are joined once again by Dianna Stegall, the current president of the ASSP. This time we discuss fleet safety, and how the tips and tricks to keeping a fleet safe apply to more then those with company owned vehicles. She shares great ideas on how to keep everyone safe on the roads.
John Groves, CEO of Fit For Work, joins the podcast again to take a deeper look at the early intervention drawer of service that Fit For Work provides, and how most importantly it helps improve employees well being and companies bottom line.
Ambjor and I talk with John Varela, Technical Director of Sleep Medicine at WorkSTEPS, about how sleep apnea effects employees both on the road and in the office. We also discuss how WorkSTEPS is a one stop shop program to managing OSHA regulation for sleep apnea testing.
Forrest Richardson, the Safety Division Director at FIT for Work, gives us a run down of the top 10 safety citations of 2019, and simple solutions to prevent these citations in the work place.
Both Kyle Mahlum and John Groves of Fit For Work take time to talk about the excited way they are developing the use of predictive analytics to help onsite providers know who is most at risk and even further prevent injuries in the workplace.
Matt Dennis from Premier Safety talk about the importance of gas detection in the workplace and he provides insights on strength and weaknesses to different devices.
We finish up our discussion with Frank Alvarez of Jackson Lewis Law Firm. In this 2nd part we talk more about the specifics of physical abilities testing to help paint of clear picture of the risk and reward of doing this type of testing.
Frank Alvarez of Jackson Lewis joins the FFW podcast to teach us how doing physical testing of employees follows the laws to prevent discrimination and how it can help companies place employees in the best environment to work as safe as possible.
Dr. Ben Hoffman talks with us about post offer testing and finding the right employees for your job, along with improving work processes at the same time with job analysis.
Diana Stegall, the National President of the American Society of Safety Professionals, lets us interview her about how the ASSP is able to be an invaluable resource to companies and individuals who work in and care about safety. She also discusses the ASSP's global reach, and how students and young professionals can benefit from membership and grants.
Al Lewis, a two time best selling author, joins the podcast to discuss the economics and effectiveness of wellness programs that require employees to participate in health challenges. He discusses how they affect employees personally and companies financially, all while providing a 3 million dollar challenge to anyone who can prove these programs save money.
Matt Herron, who is a Senior Safety Engineer at Southwest Research Institute, joins Ambjor and I to discuss the implementation of near miss-near hit programs. We also talk about how to keep these programs going so all employees feel responsible for safety.
Ken Erickson is an entrepreneur who sought to make a company that removes the inefficiency that come along with providing prescription safety glasses to employees. He founded Bridgmart to do just that, and we learn about how his company is making the whole process simpler for everyone involved
Today we interview Theresa English, who is the South Texas Chapter President of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). We learn the 5 W's of the society such as who can become a member, what their mission is, and how you can benefit with minimal time commitment.
In this episode Ambjor and I interview Damon Shodrock and we get to learn from his expertise about how to have a proper and complaint training program for power industrial trucks.
We spend some time talking with Ronald Porter about his company, The Back School. We discuss how he got started and how he is seeking to help individuals and companies take care of their employees.
James Rethaber joins the podcast to discuss how ergonomic assessments, when properly done, can dramatically reduce cost and widen the hiring pool of employees through making the job more accessible.
Our interview with Forrest Richardson, Safety Division Director at Fit For Work. His job is the help clients be complaint with Federal regulatory agencies and he gives very useful advice specifically on what OSHA expects, and how to use a safety audit to help make your workplace safer for everyone.
We interview Kier Barbour, the Risk Manager for CRH New England Group. Kier found himself in the same position of many safety personal, falling into the position as opposed to having it be a position he strove to be in. He shares his experiences and insights of helping employees feel important and appreciated in their journey of getting the help they need to enjoy life.
In this interview we talk with Adriaan Louw, one of the world leaders in pain research. He shares simple and valuable insights on what pain is, why it is misunderstood, and how to avoid making those who feel it, feel worse.
This is the second half of our interview with Keith and Tom where we discuss how their initial idea of Fit For Work caused them to make a lot of decisions to grow. We discuss how they were intentional in those choices, along with what they hope current and future providers always remember when working with employees.
We interview the co-founders of Fit For Work, Keith Adamson and Tom Tobin, and found out how we these two men were inspired and directed to keep employees from becoming patients. They share their insights on what they set to accomplish and also words of wisdom that they hope will continue to embraced by Fit For Work.
In this episode we interview Kyle Mahlum, the COO of Fit For Work. Kyle has been essential in helping grow Fit For Work, and he does that with his love of helping people. We discuss how he loves to see results and how both providers and clients can use the data collected by Fit For Work to make changes that take care of a workplaces most important asset, the employees.
We kick off our podcast with interviewing John Groves, the CEO of Fit For Work. John has had an exciting journey that started in his early days of health care of wanting to get ahead of injuries to help people not get caught in the endless cycle of reactive health care. We discuss how workplace injuries are the major portion of cost for companies, and how Fit For Work is helping companies lower these cost by having an injury prevention mindset.
A conversation with host Curtis Kopotic and co-host Ambjor Brown introducing the purpose of Work Place Injury Prevention: The Fit For Work Podcast. We will be discussing how we got into this setting as well as an overview of who we will be interviewing to get their perspective on the ever growing world of injury prevention.