Safety First!
Summary: Occupational medicine focuses on preventing and treating workplace injuries to keep employees safe and return them to work quickly. Providers like Excelsia Injury Care use personalized care plans—including rehabilitation and work hardening—to restore function and reduce future injury risk.
Regardless of where you work—whether it’s a corporate office, a retail store, a factory, or a symphony orchestra—staying safe is a top priority. Occupational medicine sits at the intersection of the workplace environment and workers’ health under the umbrella of preventive care. Led by trained doctors (MDs and DOs) certified in preventive medicine, this specialty focuses on evaluating a patient’s overall health, treating workplace injuries, and preventing future ones.
Occupational Injuries
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was founded in 1971 to establish safety standards and reduce the rate of workplace illness and injuries. Despite this, no workplace is devoid of hazards.
In recent years, contact injuries were the leading cause (27%) of workplace injuries. These come from humans, animals, objects, and running and non-running equipment. Overexertion, including repetitive strain injuries (RSI) (27%) and slips, trips, and falls (26%) follow closely behind.1
Other common injuries caused by workplace hazards include:
- Hearing damage
- Eye injuries
- Cuts and burns
- Bodily strain and posture-related injury
- Concussions and TBIs
- Equipment or machine malfunction
Related: Work Safety Best Practices
Related: Workers’ Comp: What Patients Need to Know About Insurance
Occupational Medicine Treatment Plans
Occupational medicine doctors like those at Excelsia Injury Care are dedicated to helping individuals get back to work safely, and as soon as possible.
Patients’ injuries are assessed through initial screenings and imaging tests and may be treated with work hardening and other forms of physical rehabilitation depending on the needs of that patient. Then, education and home exercises are provided to the patient to build strength and prevent future occurrences.
Related: The Role of Occupational Medicine in Mitigating Workplace Injury
Work Conditioning at Excelsia
Excelsia Injury Care is known for whole-person care, with a wide range of interdisciplinary services that diagnose injuries, treat pain, and promote healing during each patient’s recovery journey. The individualized work conditioning programs offered through Excelsia focus on restoring physical function, targeting areas of special demand for each patient’s specific work tasks, and determining capacity for returning to work. These sessions are designed to build in intensity with focus on the following:
- Strength
- Mobility
- Power
- Endurance
- Motor control
- Functional abilities
Related: What Is Work Conditioning?
Patients who need this specialized care treatment due to a work injury can visit Baltimore Work Rehab, located in both Essex and Glen Burnie.
Our specialists are trained to help patients heal from workplace hazards and mitigate them in the future, all while focusing on facilitating a quick return to work.
1 https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/work-overview/top-work-related-injury-causes/