Find out why one company has been using OIS for over three years!

On the coverDriving homethe benefits ofOISSame-day access totreatment helps recoveryBy: Jacqueline VargaCarlos Pereira can’t say enoughabout WCB’s OccupationalInjury Service (OIS), a programspecifically designed for work-relatedinjuries.As the health and safety co-ordinatorfor Edmonton’s Gordon Food Services(GFS) location, he says the OIS programhas made a huge difference to his company’shealth and safety efforts, as well as itsbottom line.“I can’t think of any logical reason whya company wouldn’t use OIS,” Pereira says.“The write-up we get from OIS physicians,for example, is much more in depth. Itallows me to set up a much better modifiedwork program.”OIS clinics offer multiple benefits toemployers such as GFS. Injured workerscan receive same-day access to an OISphysician, in-depth medical reporting,clear treatment communication and expediteddiagnostic services (such as MRIs).GFS is a broad-line food distributorwith customers across Canada and theU.S. It employs approximately 680 peoplethroughout Alberta. Three years ago,when GFS signed up with OIS, a worksitevisit was conducted at its Edmontondistribution facility. Occupational specialistslearned more about the company’soperation and gathered on-site informationabout the physical job demands.“Because they are aware of what we do,they’re able to assess an injury and have abetter sense of the mechanism of injury,”Pereira explains.Statistics show that the up-front investmentin best-practice disability managementpays off in the long term. Employerssee a faster return to work and lower claimscosts when workers access OIS. Pereira’sexperience with the program over the pastthree years certainly supports the statistics—hehas noticed a definite reductionin the amount of time his injured employeeshave been off the job.Using the program has helped GFSretain skilled employees and avoid havingto hire and train replacement workers. Ithas also reduced the company’s compensationcosts because workers are treatedfaster and back on the job sooner.Pereira says it’s a win-win situation foreveryone. “The staff at the clinic make ourguys feel at ease, which makes them morecomfortable using it. From a humanresources perspective, it helps to retaingood employees. We see people wantingto stay with the company, so we’re verysatisfied, ecstatic even, with the OISprogram.” >>Carlos Pereira (centre), health and safetyco-ordinator, implemented OIS at GFS’sEdmonton facility. Service representativesRyan Lederhouse (left) and Jarrett Roberts(right) have both benefitted from the program.14 | WorkSIGHT Winter 2010