OT students focus on employee safety and wellbeing

Many occupational therapy students complete placements in hospital or community settings, but four occupational therapy students from Southern Cross University have undertaken unique ten-week placement with Norco dairy cooperative on the NSW North Coast.

Fourth-year Bachelor of Occupational Therapy students, Traevis Goode, Chloe Hoad, Lachlan Andrews and Jerome Tadros, applied their OT skills and knowledge in the business environment to focus on occupational rehabilitation.

The students collaborated with the Norco team at sites in Raleigh and Lismore to develop workplace education, assessment and resources aimed at preventing workplace injuries and enhancing employee wellbeing.

At Norco Raleigh, a milk production site, Traevis and Chloe focused on injury prevention by observing workers performing their tasks and considering ways to make it safer, such as through altered technique, the provision of aids/ equipment or revised processes.

“Our primary responsibility was to conduct thorough task analyses, observations of the work processes, assessing potential risks associated with each worker’s tasks, and review relevant literature to gain insights into the identified risks and explore effective preventive measures,” said Traevis.

Traevis and Chloe compiled the information and their findings into a comprehensive report on injury risk factors specifically related to the cold room environment.

“The detailed report is intended to provide Raleigh Norco with valuable insights and

Jerome completing a two-person lift with a Norco employee recommendations regarding potential risks and preventive measures associated with working in the cold room,” Chloe said.

For the Agri-store at Norco Lismore, Lachlan and Jerome concentrated on employee wellbeing, creating the first of three proposed modules: sleep hygiene.

“The module is designed to be interactive and informative, providing practical strategies and tips for improving sleep hygiene. It is open to all employees, regardless of their shift patterns, and the topics covered include sleep architecture, sleep disorders, sleep debt, and circadian rhythms,” said Lachlan.

The seminar will also address common sleep hygiene practices such as establishing a regular sleep-wake schedule, creating a sleep-conducive environment, avoiding sleep disruptors such as caffeine, and managing stress and anxiety.

“We were thrilled to be involved in designing these seminars to enable Norco to create a culture that fosters the wellbeing of employees, improves job performance, and contributes to the overall success of the organisation,” said Jerome.

Peter Irving, the University’s Clinical Placement Supervisor, is an experienced OT who has worked for more than 20 years assisting injured workers back to work and providing occupational rehabilitation services.

“I’ve been in the industry for more than two decades, yet I gained new insights from the four Southern Cross students,” Mr Irving said. “With the proficiency of graduates, the students did everything from assessing new ways for workers to do common tasks more safely to designing programs to promote health and wellbeing.”

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