Work Hardening Program

Work hardening helps prevent injuries and supports a safe return to work after illness or absence. Why are Work Hardening Programs Important?

Work hardening prevents injuries, supports recovery, and eases early role-related soreness.

What is a Work Hardening Program?

Work hardening programs, designed by allied health professionals, prepare workers for job demands through tailored strength, conditioning, and mobility exercises.

With the exercises gradually increasing the load & demands on soft tissues to meet the requirements of their tasks. A work hardening program should be constructed in collaboration with your onsite injury management provider.

Who should do a Work Hardening Program?

Work Hardening Program are useful for:

New employees – irrespective of if the new employee is new to the industry or joining a business from a similar role, new employees will usually benefit from a Work Hardening Program specific to their role
New Internal Role – workers who are starting a new role within the your business . Each role within your business will have its own specific task requirements, so workers are more likely to pull up sore after switching to a new role
Workers returning work or non work-related injury or illness – the longer a worker has been off work the greater they become deconditioned to perform their specific role. Rehabilitation post-injury required diligence & care. An important component is a work hardening program that can help them return to their pre-injury/illness condition to enable them to safely perform their role
Workers returning from extended leave – similar to returning from injury, absence from a role due to extended leave will result in role specific deconditioning. Again Work Hardening Program will help the worker return safely from extended leave

When should a worker start

Ideally, a new worker should start a tailored specifically for their new role as soon as possible. Workers recovering from injury or illness should restart work hardening as soon as possible. Treating practitioners (GPs, physiotherapists, EP, OT’s) can provide guidance if required.

Benefits

There are many possible benefits. Some of the key benefits include:

Reduced risk of injury or reinjury
Improved worker productivity
Enhanced worker morale
Reduced sick/personal leave
Lower workers compensation premiums

How Do I Implement Work Hardening Programs for my Business?

Our allied health professionals are experienced in developing Work Hardening Programs to help businesses of all sizes across industries. Contact us to discuss tailoring specifically for your business.