Foss Maritime and Vimocity Co-Present at the AWO Safety Meeting

Vimocity recently had the privilege of attending the American Waterways Operators Safety Committee Meeting in New Orleans, LA. 

Vimocity Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Kevin Rindal, had the opportunity to co-lead a session of 250+ AWO attendees with Foss Maritime Safety Director, Erin Pierson, as they reviewed innovations in injury prevention and shared the results from the 2019 Foss Athlete Program at their Seattle Shipyard.

This workshop highlighted the impact sprains and strains can have on a company and their productivity but also provided insight into innovative and effective steps for preventing these types of injuries. Plus, in pure Vimocity style, we had to get everyone up and moving and actually practice some of these concepts. 

Foss is a terrific example of an organization that is dedicated to helping keep their employees happy and healthy. The Seattle Shipyard has seen a large decrease in the number of sprains and strains this past year, thanks to the company’s focus on helping their members play an active role in maintaining their muscle and joint health, preparing their bodies for physically demanding job tasks, and improving body position and ergonomics while working.  Another benefit they saw was increased engagement and morale.

Before and after the presentation, we sat down with different waterway operators to get their company’s take on the issue of sprains and strains.  

There were 3 important takeaways from the AWO Conference: 

1. 1. All companies from big to small are dealing with the issue of high rates of sprain and strain injuries.
   2. Regular connection and interaction with your team members is always the best way to drive buy-in. One member group shared that for their company, there is an association between increased frequency check-ins with their team members and lower injury rates.  Their conclusion is that it helps people feel cared for and listened to, which allows for solutions to be implemented before something nagging develops into a full-blown injury.
   3. Getting members engaged and keeping them engaged is the most challenging hurdle. The workforce culture of today embraces technology and this is an important tool for driving engagement.

Sprain and strain injuries can be difficult on the bottom line and culture. However, it doesn’t have to be “just part of the cost of doing business.” If you are experiencing high rates of sprain/strain injuries at your company, we would be glad to help. Please reach out to us here.

With a big year coming up, Foss and Vimocity are excited to keep the program rolling and continue to keep their members moving and feeling their best and staying safe! 

For more information on the Foss Athlete Program, read this article on how three Foss employees helped get their peers moving every week.

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