Public Transport
24x7 Injury Management Service
The organisation is a leading public transport company with a team of over 5,700 employees working on trains, buses, ferries and light rail services across Australia and New Zealand. The company provides bus services for a third of the city’s bus network, and has more than 1,102 staff, 46 public bus routes and 505 vehicles.
The company operates extended hours across diverse geographical locations, and is in a high-risk industry. Shift work and working irregular hours, time pressures, and sitting for extended periods with little opportunity for physical activity, were adversely impacting on drivers’ health and safety. Research reports that fatigue related accidents, sprains and strains, joint or muscle conditions, and diseases of the circulatory system, are the most common work-related injuries and illnesses in the transport industry.
The business was experiencing challenges with their existing injury management processes and practices. Some examples included lag time and inaccurate reporting, inefficient handling of the injured worker, and manual manipulation of data for analysis, to name a few. The company was looking for a provider that could offer a flexible injury management solution and align with its unique operating environment.
The Solution
In July 2016, the company partnered with Direct Health Solutions (DHS) to provide an early intervention program that would supplement existing processes and practices and reduce the impact of injury and illness on business performance. The program was designed to free-up the Injury Management Team (IMT) to operate at more strategic levels and deliver improved outcomes, as well as offer a hassle-free easily accessible service to all locations across the business at any time of the day or night.
Key elements of the program included:
- Central number to report the injury 24×7, 365 days
- Immediate nurse triage and medical advice
- Real-time notification of injuries to management and IMT
- Access to DHS trained preferred medical network
- Follow-up with the injured worker, manager and IMT
- Real-time records of all injuries, their status and transparency of activities
Results – $1m Reduction in Claims Cost in The First Year
Since the introduction of the program in 2016, the company has achieved a reduction in claims costs by 1 million dollars in 12 months. From 2016 to 2018 the number of open workers compensation claims reduced by 70%, and more recently, the business recorded a 61% reduction in lost days.
