Work related injuries

At the Georgetown Healthcare Centers we are committed to providing excellent care to injured employee and at the same time provide proper updates to employers, insurance companies and attorneys. Furthermore, injured workers are treated promptly, and if necessary, we work with other medical specialists to make sure our patients have a reasonably quick recovery and are able to return to work within a reasonable amount of time.

• Evaluation & treatment of work injuries by Board Certified doctors. Prompt treatment. Physical rehabilitation is strongly supported.
• Same Day Appointments Available;  A Treatment Authorization form can be completed and faxed to the clinic prior to the injured worker’s arrival. Fax: 404-705-9942.
• Communication:  Typed daily notes are prepared upon request and the medical providers are also available to discuss issues pertinent to the case.
• Specialist Referrals; Although most injuries can be treated by one of our board certified doctors, if the need arises, the patient will be referred to the appropriate specialist along with documentation of the treatment process.
• Functional Capacity Evaluations; These evaluations can be coordinated upon request. Please call 404-255-0666 for details.
• Case Coordination; Our highly trained staff offer case coordination and communication assistance to employers, WC insurance carriers and patient’s legal representative.

 

 

Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that has been around for many years. Traditionally concerned with factory workers and keeping their work environments safe and efficient, ergonomic professionals have expanded their work to include all types of workers from laborers to office workers, students to seniors.

Ergonomics is concerned with how our environment interacts with our work. It also looks for way to adjust our environment to decrease the risks of injury and illness, enhance productivity, and improve the quality of our work life.

The Goals of Ergonomics

The profession of ergonomics has two main concentrations (which often overlap):

1. Industrial Ergonomics – sometimes called occupational biomechanics – is concerned with the physical aspects of work such as force, posture, and repetitive movements.
2. Human Factors Ergonomics looks as the psychological aspects of work such as mental stress and decision-making.

 

The goals of ergonomics include the following:

• Reduce work-related injury and illness
• Help contain workers’ compensation costs for employers
• Improve productivity in the workplace
• Improve the quality of work
• Reduce absenteeism
• Help employers comply with government regulations regarding work environments

 

Ergonomics professionals include:

• Chiropractors
• Safety professionals
• Industrial hygienists
• Occupational Physicians
• Engineers

 

How Ergonomics Improves Work and Safety

The association between work and injury and illness is centuries old. It is even thought that Ancient Man concerned himself with developing the right tools that allowed for the most efficiency and least amount of discomfort.

Today, we continue to look for ways to improve the relationship between our “tools” and our jobs. One way to do that is to look at the risk factors in the workplace. These can be divided into 3 areas: physical characteristics, environmental characteristics, and workplace hazards.

1. Physical characteristics of work:

• Posture
• Force
• Repetition
• Duration
• Recovery time
• Velocity/acceleration
• Heavy dynamic exertion

 

2. Segmental vibration Environmental characteristics of work:

• Heat
• Cold
• Lighting
• Noise
• Whole body vibration

 

3. Workplace hazards:

• Physical stress
• Mental stress
• Workload
• Hours (shifts, overtime)
• Slips and falls
• Fire
• Exposure hazards (electrical, chemical, biological, radiation