IWIRC Occupational Health Services

Work Injury Care

  • Injury Treatment and Management
  • Acute Injury Assessment
  • Medical Dispensary for IWIRC patients
  • Fitness-for-Duty Examinations
  • Medical Review Officer Services

Pre-Employment / Post-Offer Care

  • New Employee Physicals
  • DOT Physicals and Recertification Physicals
  • Drug Testing (Rapid and Collection)
  • Breath Alcohol Testing (DOT & non-DOT)
  • Vaccinations and Immunizations
  • Fingerprinting and Criminal Background Checks

Medical Surveillance

  • Hearing Conservation
  • Environmental Exposure Monitoring
  • OSHA Survey for Respirator Use

IWIRC Industrial And Physical Rehab Services

Intervention

  • Fitness for Duty Assessments
  • Functional Capacity Evaluations
  • Outpatient Therapy
  • Work Conditioning

*All injuries are assessed utilizing Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy principles (The McKenzie Method) as recommended by the Official Disability Guidelines

Prevention & Consultation

  • Ergonomic & Job Site Analysis
  • Functional Pre-Work Screening
  • Injury Prevention Education
  • Job Description Development
  • Therapeutic Record Review

Prevention

The ultimate aim of a well-planned occupational health initiative is two-fold:
1) to reduce health and safety costs through pre-screening and
2) to improve the prevention and management of work-related injuries and illness.
Both can be obtained by ensuring the following components are in place.

Job Description Development 

Job descriptions are an invaluable part of human resource management, especially in worker placement and workers’ compensation management. Functional job descriptions that outline physical demands for specific positions offer employers a tool to use both in the hiring process and modified duty placement due to injury. In addition, physicians use the job description in a fitness-for-duty examination to determine whether a worker can return to work with no restrictions.

Doctor And Female Patient — Peoria, IL — Illinois Work Injury Resource Center

Pre-Employment Screening

IWIRC designs pre-placement tests using ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines to effectively screen out candidates who may not be physically capable of doing the job they have been offered. Components of pre-placement screens can include drug testing, fingerprint-background checks, physicals, and functional tests. The ultimate cost of a single surgical back injury can equal the price of pre-testing 400 new employees; in practical terms, only one candidate with a bad back would need to be screened out per year for this plan to break even. Candidates themselves benefit by discovering which positions are the best match to their physical capabilities. IWIRC not only helps employers determine which job categories (descriptions) would most benefit from pre-placement screenings, we can provide all services during a single patient visit with immediate results.

Drug Screening

IWIRC performs rapid (instant) drug screening along with collection-only and send-out screens using our MRO service. We only deal with SAMHSA-certified labs, including Labcorp, Medtox, Quest, and CRL. All three clinics are eScreen collection sites.

Physical Examinations

The Basic Physical exam includes a medical and occupational history, vital signs, height, weight, visual acuity, and a hands-on physical. Our Medical Providers perform the physical exams, and Clinical Technicians provide much of the screening and testing.

Functional Exams (Lift Test)

IWIRC’s rehabilitation staff performs functional exams/lift tests. These exams are based on the job description and employer provides and are used to determine an individual’s physical abilities, limitations, and readiness for a specific job or willingness to return to work. In order to thoroughly assess an individual’s actual work capacity, it is important to correlate the objective findings gathered during physical testing with more subjective reports and behaviors.

Man And Woman Doctor Talking — Peoria, IL — Illinois Work Injury Resource Center

DOT Exams And DOT Recertification Exams 

IWIRC provides DOT physical exams and recertification exams, NIDA urine drug testing, and Breath Alcohol testing. Medical Review Officer services are provided in-house by our certified Medical director. IWIRC providers are registered on the Department of Transportation website as having gone through the requisite training to become qualified to perform DOT Physical Exams.

Respiratory Surveillance And Respiratory Physicals 

Using an OSHA-approved questionnaire, respiratory surveillance programs provide pulmonary function screening and respirator monitoring. Respiratory Physicals include a review of the questionnaire, a complete physical exam that provides for Pulmonary Function Testing, and the availability of x-ray services as needed.

Audiometric Surveillance 

The Hearing Conservation Program provides employees with certified audiology screening. Annual monitoring, employee education, and policy and procedures for protective hearing devices are included in the program.

OSHA-Mandated Screenings 

Many work environments have identified hazards that are monitored under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). IWIRC physicians have been specially trained to review the worksite hazards and develop appropriate health exams and screenings to provide employers with baseline data according to OSHA regulations. This resource is crucial for employers to remain in good standing with OSHA.

Training

Most work-related injuries are preventable. Understanding the demands of work activities and providing education in reducing work-injury exposure is a specialty of IWIRC’s rehabilitation staff. The training of candidates and the re-training of existing staff in proper lifting techniques, functional stretching exercises, and correct posture is a proven method of injury prevention. Training services are available on-site for company-wide instruction and in IWIRC’s clinics for individual education.