For employers, it’s a task that begins at work by Blake Jones – The Garden Island As required by law, employers have procedures and policies in place for handling — and, more importantly, avoiding — workplace injuries. Likewise, physicians have
For employers, it’s a task that begins at work
by Blake Jones – The Garden Island
As required by law, employers have procedures and policies in place for handling — and, more importantly, avoiding — workplace injuries. Likewise, physicians have their own set of guidelines to follow when treating hurt workers.
But the two sides of the coin haven’t always communicated effectively, which is why a seminar on Thursday for Kaua‘i companies and doctors is taking a fresh approach, according to Dr. Lance Yokochi.
Yokochi, an O‘ahu physician with a private practice in occupational medicine, is one of three presenters at the “Creating a Healthier Community Seminar,” organized and hosted by the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.
“It’s very ambitious,” Yokochi said, applauding the Hyatt for tackling the subject in a comprehensive manner.
Joseph Schoniwitz, the Kaua‘i Hyatt’s director of safety, said the event is unprecedented in terms of uniting the hotel, hospitality and medical communities.
The seminar Thursday, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is an outgrowth of Hyatt efforts over the last four years to build bridges with local physicians, Schoniwitz said.
With 1,000 employees of its own, the Hyatt sees its share of work-related accidents, about half of which are strains.
Until last year, Schoniwitz served as the director of security and safety for the resort. And with growing crime on the South Shore, he said, the workload was heavily concentrated on the security side.
Since dividing the position into two separate jobs, Schoniwitz said severe accidents among Hyatt workers have dropped by 75 percent.
“We are at the forefront having a director of safety overlooking the program,” Schoniwitz said.
But it’s not enough for the Hyatt to pat itself on the back for its internal efforts, he said. Creating a healthy workplace is a responsibility to be shared across Kaua‘i’s hospitality industry because it draws from the same pool of residents with two or three jobs.
“The biggest issue is working on the community and acknowledging that if we don’t pay attention to safety or workman’s comp claims, it can get out of hand,” Schoniwitz said.
Still, many employers fear that reporting all minor accidents and near misses can come back to haunt them. Even Schoniwitz declined to offer figures on Hyatt worker accidents.
Nevertheless, the seminar is a clear indication that worker safety and injuries is not a subject to be swept under the rug.
“We have to create awareness of the services that are out there,” Schoniwitz said. “There are so many people to help.”
In order to facilitate discussion on worker safety, the seminar will include three talks: the aging workforce, ergonomics and building a healthy work environment.
Yokochi, the only Hawai‘i-based presenter, will talk about the baby boomer generation. He said that as employees age, they gradually stray from physically exerting work, or they bow out entirely if injured.
Yokochi said the goal is to help physicians understand how to get employees back to work after an injury. And in addition to keeping patients employed, doctors and employers need to make sure they don’t reinjure through back-to-work programs.
When effectively implemented, it means that “in the long run, workers are more productive and there are less costs on the system — and that’s everybody involved,” he said.
The other speakers include Susan and Dennis Isernhagen of DSI Work Solutions in Minnesota, who will address ergonomics, and Robert Howell of Oregon-based Howell & Associates LLC, who will discuss how to create a healthy workplace.
Howell worked with the Hyatt on its return-to-work program and was a catalyst for change in the company culture, Schoniwitz said.
In addition to the seminar, the hotel is hosting a free health fair for the community from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also on Thursday, in the Grand Hyatt ballroom. It will feature health screenings, promotions and prizes. Participating organizations include the American Heart Association, Kaua‘i Hospice, the Kaua‘i Department of Health, family Health Services and many more.
For more information about attending, contact Schoniwitz at 742-1234, ext. 4561 or e-mail jschoniwitz@hyatt.com.
The conference fee is $50, which includes breakfast, lunch and a post-seminar reception. Special Hyatt room and golf rates are available for attendees.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
