The other day, I saw a contractor wearing a shirt that quipped about his fondest memories being when his back didn’t hurt. We shared a chuckle, but his follow-up comment hit home: “I wish it wasn’t true.”

This sentiment is far too common. I meet workers in nearly every industry who feel this way, and I always tell them: 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆. My goal, and the core of my work with employers, is to ensure everyone goes home feeling as good as they did when they arrived. This isn’t just an EHS cliché for me; having spent years developing FCE testing protocols and witnessing the toll injuries take on livelihoods, it’s a deeply personal mission.

While we can’t eliminate every risk or reduce all physical demands to “light work,” we can absolutely prevent people from being physically beaten down by their jobs every day.

Here’s how we can make a difference:

𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Understand the true physical and postural demands of every role.
𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Ensure new hires are a good physical fit for the essential demands of the job.
𝗘𝗿𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Identify and implement reasonable changes to high-demand, high-risk tasks.
𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 & 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Treat every incident as an opportunity to prevent future harm.
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Equip employees with foundational knowledge and continuous refreshers to empower safer work practices.

There’s no good reason for workers to suffer. We have the tools and expertise to make a real difference.

What steps is your organization taking to ensure your team goes home feeling great at the end of every shift? Share your insights or reach out to discuss how we can help create a healthier, more productive workforce!