Prevention work by occupational health physiotherapists: An inventory of activities within one industrial sector in Sweden

Abstract

Physiotherapists are relative newcomers to occupational health services (OHS) in Sweden and were originally employed to provide treatment. The preconditions for work that is more oriented towards primary prevention have now been created. This has resulted from a similar orientation within OHS as a whole and the growing availability of further training. An inventory of their activities was taken to provide a more systematic description of their work. All physiotherapists concerned with slaughterhouses and the meat industry (the sector with the highest rates of reported accidents and strain injuries in Sweden) participated in a combined questionnaire and telephone interview study. They work almost exclusively with physical strain and only to a minor extent with accident risks. Few have any knowledge of reported occupational injuries. Most physiotherapists would like to devote more time to primary prevention work, mainly to reactive activities (directed at the individual), such as training and information, but also to proactive measures (aimed at the work environment or organisation). An increased concentration on proactive primary prevention should enable physiotherapists to contribute more effectively to a reduction in occupational injuries.