Kaleida installing cost-saving workers' comp plan

Kaleida Health officials believe they can save about $1 million in workers' compensation injuries every year through a program that takes the pressure off of workers' backs as they lift and move patients.

Called Zero Manual Lift, the program uses special equipment that eliminates the need for employees to bear patients' weight as they are being transferred or repositioned, and includes ongoing training in injury prevention and ergonomics. It has been underway at Kaleida's Waterfront Health Care Center for three months and has resulted in an injury-free work force, officials said.

The health system of hospitals and nursing homes has spent about $16 million annually on workers compensation injuries; 64 percent of the costs are directly related to strains by lifting or moving patients or residents. The goal of the program is to reduce the incidence of sprains and strain injuries between 25 percent and 50 percent in the first year of full implementation. (Via Business First)