City of Louisville Working to Decrease Workplace Injuries

In January of 2012, the year began with 32 percent of all Louisville garbage collectors either off work completely or on limited duty because of a serious workplace injury. With one out of three workers affected by injury, the City of Louisville decided it was time to institute a plan to prevent on-the-job injuries. Judging by the most recent statistics, the city’s plan appears to be making a difference. The year 2014 began with only 15 percent of garbage collectors off work or on restriction for a workplace injury.

The City of Louisville’s effort to reduce workplace accidents and injuries includes three parts.

Part one of the plan involves public works employees taking part in stretching exercises each morning before they head out on their collection routes. Even the administrators get together with the employees and go through a wake-up stretching routine led by a different leader each day. Toe touches, jumping jacks, squats, and reaching for the sky have all become a part of the daily schedule for City of Louisville Public Works employees. The idea behind the morning stretches is simple: a more flexible worker is less likely to be injured, or will suffer a less serious injury if a workplace accident does occur, and will likely heal faster if injured.

Part two of the City of Louisville plan involves an Accident Review Committee. The committee reviews all injury reports and suggests to department managers measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring. Eventually, the recommendations are passed on to the actual employees so that the accident prevention measures can be put into practice.

Part three of the plan is the modified duty policy. A public works worker who suffers a serious injury is typically out for six to ten weeks. The “modified duty” policy provides an injured worker with the option to return to work after just one week and perform less strenuous office work.

A significant decrease in the percentage of injured garbage collectors between January 2012 and January 2014 suggests the City of Louisville’s plan may be making a difference. Not many workers have a job where they get to exercise while on the clock. Maybe more employers should consider the benefits of initiating a brief stretching session each day for employees. Experts agree that a worker who is healthy and in shape is less likely to suffer serious injuries in a workplace accident and will likely heal faster if an injury does occur.

If you have been injured in a Kentucky workplace accident, you could be entitled to Kentucky workers’ compensation benefits. Contact an experienced Kentucky workers’ compensation lawyer to discuss your legal rights.