For many responsible managers and business owners around the world, workplace injury prevention is a top priority. In your position, it is important to ensure the safety of your team. While there are many ways to go about injury prevention strategies, there is one method that is often overlooked. This is stretching. Why is stretching important? By stretching regularly, your employees can avoid injuries that could hurt your company’s productivity and lead to high insurance costs.
Why stretching is important for injury prevention
- Enhances flexibility — Flexibility can be key to workplace resilience. When a worker is flexible, they can more easily avoid injury. This is partly due to increased range of motion. Stretching before work is important for enhancing joint and muscle flexibility. This can allow workers to bend, twist and reach without straining. In physically demanding jobs, building flexibility can help workers to bend their joints without being hurt. Stretching exercises can also help correct postural issues that could lead to future injury.
- Reduces risk of strains and sprains — Muscle strains and ligament sprains are common workplace injuries. Properly managing these injuries when they occur is a vital part of overseeing a workforce. One of the best ways to address these injuries is to prevent them before they happen. By implementing stretches before work, your employees can be more resistant to strains and sprains. Stretching serves as a warmup for the body; it helps it prepare for the activities ahead. When a worker is warmed up, they are less likely to experience the kind of sudden muscle strain that often occurs in people with stiff muscles.
- Relieves stress — Stretching is important for the physical and mental health of your employees. Starting the day with an activity that can sharpen mental focus and relieve stress can lead to great results. Your employees may be less likely to make errors resulting in injury. The clarity that can come with effective stretching can also boost productivity in your workers.
Work-Fit can help you apply injury prevention strategies in your workplace
Implementing stretching and other exercises in your workplace can be a win-win for you and your employees. Stretches can keep your employees safe and productive. At Work-Fit, our tailor-made injury prevention programs have proven their value for 30 years. Our team of exercise physiologists can develop a program designed to keep your employees flexible and free of injury.
Contact us today to learn more about how Work-Fit can assist your employees.
