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We view ourselves as an extension of the company's health department and share a philosophy of high-quality care with a return-to-work focus," says Talbot. The Occupational Health Center of Waltham offers a full range of services including but not limited to:

Treatment and Management of Workers' Compensation
Injuries & Illnesses
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Physical Exams (Pre-Placement, Dot, Bio-tech, Hazardous Waste & other OSHA-Regulated Examinations, Police, Fire
and Fitness-For-Duty Exams)
Substance Abuse Testing
Vaccinations
International Travel Medicine
Ergonomics & Injury Prevention Training
Employee Assistance Programs
On-site Services
Consulting
Wellness Programs

In addition, services address such topics as:

Do high tech companies need occupational health programs?
You bet!

It is safe to say that your average "computer enthusiast" is at little risk of sustaining a traumatic work-related injury, but high tech workers are more vulnerable to a host of other, often more subtle, occupational injuries. Some of these include musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to repetitive motions of the upper extremities or headaches and eye strain related to abnormal work postures, poor lighting or mental stress.

"High tech workers, like software developers or program analysts, commonly spend well over eight hours a day at their computers and it is not unusual to find them working at two monitors and keyboards at the same time," says Beth Sloane, MS, PT, ATC, director of ergonomics and industrial rehabilitation. "They are prime candidates for MSDs, such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel disorders and cervical (neck) problems. These injuries occur as the result of cumulative stresses. This becomes a real concern for the younger high tech worker who doesn't realize the long-term ramifications of their "casual" work postures. Poor techniques now can result in problems later on."

Contrary to popular belief, ergonomics is more than just fancy chairs and special keyboards. A sound ergonomics program can help to reduce MSDs and increase a company's productivity by reducing lost workdays. Such programs not only make good business sense, but for most companies, they are now required by federal and state regulations.

According to Sloane, a good ergonomics program should include the following components:

"Employee awareness efforts that educate employees about how MSDs can occur and their signs and symptoms, a process by which employees can report MSDs without feeling threatened and, education about proper preventive exercise and conditioning. "It takes a qualified and knowledgeable individual to determine what is a good workstation set up and to appropriately design the equipment and furnishings to fit the person and the task," says Sloane.

"Often people have all the right equipment, but it is not adjusted correctly for them. I've seen on many occasions when workers have these wonderful "ergonomically designed" chairs but the instructions for adjusting them properly are still attached to the bottom of the chair, untouched."

In addition to ergonomics, high tech employees can benefit from other occupational health services, such as stress management, workplace violence awareness and time management programs. "Occupational health isn't just about treating broken bones or sore backs," Sloane explains. "It also is about keeping workers healthy ‹ and that means treating the whole person in an individualized way. That is important no matter what their job is."

The Occupational Health Center of Waltham is open Monday - Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

For more information or to learn how the program can meet the needs of your organization, please contact Diane Talbot, Client Relations Specialist at (617) 754-5646.

Also check out their website at www.occhealth.caregroup.org.