Addressing employee safety with early intervention programs
Published by HealthFitness on January 19th, 2025
This leading chemical manufacturing company wanted to strengthen its efforts to help reach its goal of being the safest industrial gasses company in the world. The company’s 4,775 employees represent different types of workers — including office workers, plant workers, truck drivers and manufacturing.

The company’s emphasis on safety has made its existing Ergonomics Wellness Education (EWE) program a must-have to increase safety, but they needed a partner to expand the injury prevention program. HealthFitness partnered with the company and began managing the EWE program in 2013.
Challenge
For more than 20 years, this company has embraced injury prevention through its EWE program, which seeks to address anyone experiencing musculoskeletal pain or discomfort, regardless of whether it happened at work or at home.
The EWE program assists recovery and helps employees understand the underlying causes for injury, pain and inflammation. But in order to strengthen the EWE program, the company needed an enhanced injury prevention and treatment program including ergonomic assessments and consults.
Solution
HealthFitness took over managing the EWE program in 2013. Over the years, the program has evolved to its current approach, focusing on education and early intervention.
The early intervention program addresses early reported discomfort, ideally before the need for medical attention, diagnosis and/or treatment. A HealthFitness physical therapist assistant works with employees to examine the root cause of the issue and ensure corrective actions are taken to prevent further discomfort or injury.
Results
The early intervention program is for all employees, no matter how minor the issue or condition, and regardless of the cause of the discomfort. It is delivered by a part-time HealthFitness physical therapist assistant.
More than 115 employees participated in the early intervention program in the first year and 93% of incidents did not become an OSHA recordable. In addition, there were 387 on-site or telephonic consults to support employees that did not participate in the early intervention program.
Connect with us to learn more about how we get and keep people moving.

The company’s emphasis on safety has made its existing Ergonomics Wellness Education (EWE) program a must-have to increase safety, but they needed a partner to expand the injury prevention program. HealthFitness partnered with the company and began managing the EWE program in 2013.
Challenge
For more than 20 years, this company has embraced injury prevention through its EWE program, which seeks to address anyone experiencing musculoskeletal pain or discomfort, regardless of whether it happened at work or at home.
The EWE program assists recovery and helps employees understand the underlying causes for injury, pain and inflammation. But in order to strengthen the EWE program, the company needed an enhanced injury prevention and treatment program including ergonomic assessments and consults.
Solution
HealthFitness took over managing the EWE program in 2013. Over the years, the program has evolved to its current approach, focusing on education and early intervention.
The early intervention program addresses early reported discomfort, ideally before the need for medical attention, diagnosis and/or treatment. A HealthFitness physical therapist assistant works with employees to examine the root cause of the issue and ensure corrective actions are taken to prevent further discomfort or injury.
Results
The early intervention program is for all employees, no matter how minor the issue or condition, and regardless of the cause of the discomfort. It is delivered by a part-time HealthFitness physical therapist assistant.
More than 115 employees participated in the early intervention program in the first year and 93% of incidents did not become an OSHA recordable. In addition, there were 387 on-site or telephonic consults to support employees that did not participate in the early intervention program.
Connect with us to learn more about how we get and keep people moving.