Pre-employment assessments

They are the new staple amongst Brisbane businesses, those that are looking to decrease their workplace injuries. Pre-employment assessments save businesses money with a decrease in their LTI (lost time due to injury).

The important fact, however, is these help create a safer workforce walking in the door each day.

One of the big things that businesses struggle with is having people walk into the door for their first day with pre-existing underlying injuries.

Businesses need to understand that 75% of injuries at a workplace are occurring during manual handling tasks. The solution with most companies is to try and remedy this with manual handling training.

This has now become commonplace in most businesses.

The stats, however, have shown this doesn’t help enough to prevent injuries. This is where a well-constructed pre-employment assessment can save your company by decreasing injuries.

With a correctly tailored Pre-Employment Assessment you can screen and find out high-risk applicants before they walk in the door.

The big problem these days is the majority of pre-employment work on just ticking the boxes to make companies happy.

Do Applicants Ever Fail?

The average pre-employment assessment is failing approximately one to 1.5 percent of applicants.

Research has shown that number should be closer to 14%. Over time this decreases costs and injuries by anywhere between 25 to 60%.

So what should you be looking for when you are sending your applicants in for a pre-employment assessment. Ask the physio that is giving the pre-employment assessment if they have processes to identify risks in both the questioning and assessment stages.

To find out if people are at a higher risk ask them what those processes are. Make sure that it’s just not can they safely lift a box or can they safely squat five times.

There are aspects that are critical in the questioning that a skilled Occupational Health Physiotherapist will know.

What to Expect?

So you have decided on the practice and type of assessment that will be undertaken.  Next the applicant will book for an assessment usually lasting between 1-2 hours depending on what requirements need to be assessed.

That can be anywhere from Drug and alcohol screening functional testing, job specific testing as well as baseline things like blood pressure, heart rate, vision and hearing. Once completed an in-depth report will be sent to you ideally within one business day. This allows your business to get hiring the right people faster.

What should applicants expect on the day?

Arrive in loose-fitting sports clothes with covered shoes. Ensure you don’t have too much caffeine before the assessment is that can often affect heart rate and blood pressure.

Need Help?

If as a business owner you are unsure on how to put together your own pre-employment assessment.

This is something that here at Spring physio and Rehab we help businesses with. We have completed over 2000 assessments for all industries.

If you’re in the Spring Hill or the surrounding inner-city suburbs give us a call.

So you think you may have injured your ACL. Your first stop should be visiting an experienced ACL physio.

Your Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a ligament that sits inside your knee. It prevents your Tibia (Shin Bone) and Femur (Thigh Bone) from separating apart.

It is the most common knee injury in the athletic population. The cause of ACL rupture is usually the result of running and cutting/stepping activities in sport. This is when your ACL is put under the most stress.

It is particularly common in sports where this movement happens a lot such as Netball, Basketball, AFL, Soccer, Rugby Union, Rugby League, and Touch rugby.

It’s also seen in activities like water and snow skiing due to the rapidly changing directions and environments.

Unfortunately when we compare the rate of injury the research shows that females and 3 to 1 more likely to rupture their ACL compared with males.

As an athlete, you will typically feel a snapping sensation and your knee buckling during the game or training. Generally, this will result in immediate pain and swelling. If a physiotherapist is at the game this would be the best time to assess the ACL integrity before further swelling and muscle guarding kicks in.

You should immediately get your knee into a brace and get around with a pair of crutches. If you need either of those give us a call and we will be able to loan you a pair.

The best course of action following your injury is to get it assessed by a experienced ACL physio. If we think it’s likely you have a tear we have a personal relationship with Brisbane’s top knee surgeon.

We can organise an immediate referral from our team of in-house doctors to the specialist. From there we can contact their office organise you an appointment get a referral for an MRI.

The faster we can get a clear diagnosis and recovery plan the quicker we can get you back doing what you love.

The most common treatment is to undergo surgery. It’s generally recommended over non-surgical options if you want to get back to competitive or demanding sports safely.

Furthermore, the majority of ACL ruptures also result in a full rupture of the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and a tear of the medial meniscus (your cartilage). In contrast to the healing time of your ACL, these injuries won’t overly affect your rehabilitation time frames.

After surgery, the rehabilitation road is 9-12 months. This is guided us as your physiotherapist and reviewed by your surgeon.

It comprises initially of getting you back up and moving then moving towards improving your balance, the range of motion and building your strength. In the later stages of rehabilitation if heavy focused on preparation towards return you to sport and minimizing the risk of re-injury.

On a positive note, our team has been trained in the latest science being used with the worlds top athletes to significantly minimise their risk of ACL and knee injuries.

Whether you have just injured your knee, just had surgery and are looking to minimise your future risk. Come on in a see the Expert ACL Physio’s at Spring Physio and Rehab in Spring Hill.

Click below to book in now!