It is well researched that having a high Body Mass Index (BMI) as well as decreased amounts of sleep increase the risks of a work related injury. Having a high BMI is also correlated with short sleep durations. So that led researchers to examine whether these two factors independent of each other increase the risk for a work related injury on their own. A 2012 study by Lombardi et al. in Chronobiology International examined data collected by the US National Health Interview Survey over a six year period to determine the independent effects of BMI and decreased sleep on work related injuries.
The findings suggested that workers had an increased risk of a work related injury from decreased sleep regardless of their BMI. However having a high BMI also increased the risk of a work related injury irregardless of the amount of sleep an individual had.
This data is important as it suggests there are always multiple, preventable risk factors where we can educate our employees in order to decrease risk for work related injuries. Knowing how difficult it is to alter certain lifestyle risk factors such as diet and exercise in certain individuals,we should not give up. There are numerous touch points we can make with our employees to decrease the risk factors for work related injuries.
Some of the strategies employers can use to decrease work related injuries include but are not limited to:
To see the abstract of the article go to https://goo.gl/CQIOMn. To learn more about how Results Physiotherapy can help reduce your work related injuries request more information at https://resultspt.com/request-info.
