APTA, OSHA Focus on Work-Related MSDs, Safe Patient Handling in Midwest
Reducing and preventing injuries among physical therapists and other health care employees is the goal of a regional alliance between OSHA and the American Physical Therapy Association. The alliance will operate in six Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Michael Connors, OSHA's regional director in Chicago, said the cooperative effort will focus on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the safe handling of patients.
"Working together to share best practices, and develop and implement safety and health training for these dedicated employees, is an easy call," Connors said. "If we can provide physical therapists and others the ability to anticipate, identify, and eliminate work-related hazards, we will get much closer to eliminating job-related injuries."
APTA, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a national professional organization representing more than 70,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students. Its mission is to further the profession's role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of movement dysfunctions and the enhancement of the physical health and functional abilities of members of the public. There are nearly 13,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students, and thousands more general health care employees, working in the Midwest, according to the association.