Consulting in industry: Moving beyond traditional interventions

Despite increased efforts to address musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the work place, these injuries continue significantly impact the bottom line financial performance of companies, not to mention the health and safety of their most important resource - their workers. As MSD costs continue to rise, rehabilitation professionals must approach effective injury management and prevention processes from an onsite perspective. A paradigm shift is in order. Successful practitioners need to transform themselves from a clinical specialist to an onsite consultant. This article introduces various elements that are critical to the successful transformation of an onsite consultant. Effective onsite injury management and prevention concepts are discussed. Case studies are also presented to further illustrate the value of the onsite consultant approach.