July 25, 2025 • 11 mins
How to Prevent Injuries at Work | Tips from a Workplace Safety Expert
Workplace Injury? Here’s What to Do Next (and How Urgent Care Helps)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, everyone, and welcome backto Urgent Care Unscripted.
My name is Barbara Alter.
I am the Director of operationsand business
development for AFCUrgent Care in West Haven.
And this is Mohammad Salon andthe franchisee and owner of the is here.
The game is great. And
(00:21):
today we are here to, discuss workplace
safety and occupational health services,something that impacts everyone.
So it is no matter the size of industryor where you work.
You are in it and we are going to talka little more detail about it.
Yeah.
This is a topic that I thinkgoes under the radar for most people.
And they don't think about, occupational health when it comes to an
(00:43):
urgent care.
But it's very importantand it can definitely make a difference
for your businessand for yourself as an employee as well.
And I'm Felix Pacheco, happy to be here,
medical directorfor the AFC West saving urgent care.
And we are very happy to have Felix here.
His, veteran, your physician at the,
and he is the leader of our clinical teamat West Haven.
(01:06):
So now we go.
Yeah, let's start with the topic.
What is itthat we can actually do for employers
at an urgent care?
Every employee
wants to ensure the healthand safety of their employees.
So, if there, you know, injuries happen,then we're occasional falls.
(01:27):
If you work with machinery, and,
when these accidents happen,they need, usually you,
is it safe for them to return to work?
Is there any significant injuryto the individual?
So in those cases, you need an evaluation,
and we can providethat sort of medical evaluation.
(01:47):
Yeah.
And in what doctor said if
what of the keyword in there is accidentthat can happen any time.
And accordingresponding to that keyword. Yes.
Yes. Interest haven is openseven days a week.
You can walk in any time.
You can even
consider and consult with us beforeyou have to go to an emergency room.
(02:11):
And we can advise what the next stepwould be to.
Yeah, absolutely.
One other things that we also doat the urging care
for a lot of the employers is a dotphysicals.
That's a big one.
And we can also do employment physicals,drug screenings.
So those are all boxes that we can check
as your partner in this,you know, employer world.
(02:32):
There's also a key, level of accesswhen you have an urgent care
that you're working
with directly because, you know,you're going to get your results on time,
you know, that you can get your patientsin and out as quickly as possible,
since you are typically you're payingfor that employer's time.
So if you have a relationshipwith your local urgent care,
I think it's it's a big, big help
(02:53):
and a big, big differencefor your, for your business for sure.
And those, again, to, to that keywordof when the accident happens.
You want to be prepared for that.
And as long as you have that relationshipwith the urgent care
or the local, clinic,what comes with that relationship?
If we can get some more informationabout the profile of your industry
(03:16):
or the profile of your workforce,or the job descriptions up of your staff,
then we can be better prepared to serve
your needs when that accident happensand know about what kind of injury.
And, I'll be, in a more educated manner.
Yeah.
My initial response,I was focusing on the, current employee.
Employee. But,
(03:38):
she mentioned
the good points from, like,the pre-employment process
and how screeningsare typically involved there.
But then there's also continuous
screenings for certain positions, like,you know, D.O.T.
physicals and,you know, truck drivers and such.
You know,so we do all that if you think about,
the things that are requiredfor a lot of weeks and in general,
(04:01):
pre-employmentphysical and, minor injuries,
pretty much include that as well.
Yeah.
I feel like,
can you touch base on a little bitas from a provider's perspective,
what that importance is in your eyesto have a relationship with an urgent care
when it comes to getting your employment,you know, even getting back to work,
(04:21):
like, as far as restrictions,I know that sometimes that's tough for
for you guys as providers
to determine whether or not you're goingto send that patient back to work.
But can you can you tell us the differencebetween knowing the job descriptions
and knowing what they can and cannotdo, versus you just being blindly
told this patient can't go back to work?
Yeah. Like with any,
functional
assessment and trying to get an ideaas to what they do as a baseline,
(04:45):
how to determinewhether or not they can return to that.
A good example would be some of thoselike lifting heavy objects,
or they have a back injuryand they can't bend over that.
Obviously it's a limit to that.
However, if they have,
like a cut,
a minor cut, that wouldn't necessarilyprevent them from doing the heavy lifting.
(05:07):
So yeah.
That's a, a functional assessment,the location of the clinic,
especially in relation to the facilityand the employees homes,
make it easy to get recheckedbecause oftentimes, make an assessment
and the injury is such a time zero.
In three days, we expect it to be better.
(05:28):
But I mean, willit will not be as unclear.
And they sometimes need reevaluation.
The convenience of rotationmakes that more feasible.
Yeah.
I think what we're trying to sayhere is that, there is a smarter
and more collaborative way of handlingthis kind of situation.
You would want to take a, think about itin a, like, an end to end solution
(05:49):
when you have that relationshipin advance, when we have the profile of
your work and we know what kind of injurythey might come in with,
and we know that you want that staffto be back at work
as soon as possible for the staff'sbenefit, your benefit.
And we want to work with youto provide that solution
(06:09):
in as perfect manner as possible.
And and that all requires that pre-workof establishing the relationship,
sharing this information in advance,and not wait for the accident to occur
with a clinicthat's also geographically to,
Felix's point is, close to you
so that, it's the most efficientand time saving for everyone.
(06:32):
And that's what it is, isinstead of a statement comes
with that proper planning and advancenotification and so forth.
Yeah.
I think one thing the employers
a lot of times don't think aboutis that pre-employment physical.
I think it's a great way to havea baseline of where you're starting
with that employee because like we'vementioned here, accidents happen, right?
(06:55):
But if you know that that employeehad previously,
a back injury,you might know at that point.
Okay.
Well, if the patientif this employee has a back injury,
then I know that I can't put himin a position where he's going to be,
lifting heavy boxes.
So we'll be able to kind of assessthat for you and fit the right role
for that person, too.So it's it's a great way.
(07:18):
And I think it keeps your alsoyour employees happy.
If you're doing that yearly physical,
you're less likely to have somebodygetting sick all the time because you're
trying to catch these thingsahead of time, right? Felix?
Wouldn't you agree with that?
Yeah.
The preventative aspect, could playa, a small portion of it,
but it could hopefully identify thingsearly on
(07:39):
and ideally prevent the kind of injuriesthat could occur at the workplace.
Yeah.
So I think it's also those like thethe different kinds of injured injury.
Plus there is a physical aspectof being injured.
And then there's the psychologicalor mental aspect of
you know, some suffering also that,
that, that will have to be addressedand properly solved for,
(08:04):
I mean, mentally a persononce one's affected physically,
that mental effect can carry on for daysand weeks and months.
And, and that can affect the also.
So how do we handle all of that and whatwe do to put together proper solutions.
Yeah. Also a very certified psychiatrist.
So that would be.
(08:27):
He is joking.
So when employers make, I think health
just part of their workforce in general,it definitely improves their workforce.
It improves their employeeshealth, makes them happier.
We I mean, we have a business that we runbetween the three of us.
We have obviously tons of staffthat we work that we work with.
(08:48):
And I think
one of the big things that we do forour staff is keeping them happy mentally.
And sometimes that includes making surethat they're being properly treated.
But it also ensuresthat they're getting their health checks,
within the time frame that is needed.
So thankfully, we are in urgent careso they can come to us any time.
(09:10):
But, it's good to have that relationshipas an employer.
Yeah, I think it's one less worry.
One less worry.
Yeah.
And if you're a business owner or managerlistening to the podcast right now.
So again, to build that relationshipnow is the best time
versus waiting for the next accidentto happen and impact your business.
(09:31):
So you want to be proactive about itand reach out
and start working towards,you know, proactive solutions.
Yeah.
Oh, one thingI didn't mention that I wanted to touch
based on is when you have a relationshipwith your urgent care,
typically you can get lowerpricing on all the work that or all
the physicals and checkups that you are,or even a sick with a sick visit.
(09:54):
If you don't want to go to a workman'scomp,
you can do, directpricing with that location.
And that wayit doesn't affect your workman's comp.
So those are also thingsto think about as a business owner,
building that relationshipwith your local urgent care, for sure.
All right.
We covered a lot about,workman's comp and occupational,
(10:15):
health, the topic and how to handle this.
And, in a planned manner.
What are the benefits of
benefits of, sharing information,
with your closest and, best,
for the benefit of you and your staff?
You appreciate, listening to the podcast.
And thanks for this.And thanks for joining.
(10:38):
Thank you.
Or located at 354 Sawmill Road in West
Haven, AMC right here, right now.
Hi, everyone, and welcome backto Urgent Care Unscripted.
My name is Barbara Alter.
I am the Director of operationsand business
development for AFCUrgent Care in West Haven.
And this is Mohammad Salon andthe franchisee and owner of the is here.
The game is great. And
(00:21):
today we are here to, discuss workplace
safety and occupational health services,something that impacts everyone.
So it is no matter the size of industryor where you work.
You are in it and we are going to talka little more detail about it.
Yeah.
This is a topic that I thinkgoes under the radar for most people.
And they don't think about, occupational health when it comes to an
(00:43):
urgent care.
But it's very importantand it can definitely make a difference
for your businessand for yourself as an employee as well.
And I'm Felix Pacheco, happy to be here,
medical directorfor the AFC West saving urgent care.
And we are very happy to have Felix here.
His, veteran, your physician at the,
and he is the leader of our clinical teamat West Haven.
(01:06):
So now we go.
Yeah, let's start with the topic.
What is itthat we can actually do for employers
at an urgent care?
Every employee
wants to ensure the healthand safety of their employees.
So, if there, you know, injuries happen,then we're occasional falls.
(01:27):
If you work with machinery, and,
when these accidents happen,they need, usually you,
is it safe for them to return to work?
Is there any significant injuryto the individual?
So in those cases, you need an evaluation,
and we can providethat sort of medical evaluation.
(01:47):
Yeah.
And in what doctor said if
what of the keyword in there is accidentthat can happen any time.
And accordingresponding to that keyword. Yes.
Yes. Interest haven is openseven days a week.
You can walk in any time.
You can even
consider and consult with us beforeyou have to go to an emergency room.
(02:11):
And we can advise what the next stepwould be to.
Yeah, absolutely.
One other things that we also doat the urging care
for a lot of the employers is a dotphysicals.
That's a big one.
And we can also do employment physicals,drug screenings.
So those are all boxes that we can check
as your partner in this,you know, employer world.
(02:32):
There's also a key, level of accesswhen you have an urgent care
that you're working
with directly because, you know,you're going to get your results on time,
you know, that you can get your patientsin and out as quickly as possible,
since you are typically you're payingfor that employer's time.
So if you have a relationshipwith your local urgent care,
I think it's it's a big, big help
(02:53):
and a big, big differencefor your, for your business for sure.
And those, again, to, to that keywordof when the accident happens.
You want to be prepared for that.
And as long as you have that relationshipwith the urgent care
or the local, clinic,what comes with that relationship?
If we can get some more informationabout the profile of your industry
(03:16):
or the profile of your workforce,or the job descriptions up of your staff,
then we can be better prepared to serve
your needs when that accident happensand know about what kind of injury.
And, I'll be, in a more educated manner.
Yeah.
My initial response,I was focusing on the, current employee.
Employee. But,
(03:38):
she mentioned
the good points from, like,the pre-employment process
and how screeningsare typically involved there.
But then there's also continuous
screenings for certain positions, like,you know, D.O.T.
physicals and,you know, truck drivers and such.
You know,so we do all that if you think about,
the things that are requiredfor a lot of weeks and in general,
(04:01):
pre-employmentphysical and, minor injuries,
pretty much include that as well.
Yeah.
I feel like,
can you touch base on a little bitas from a provider's perspective,
what that importance is in your eyesto have a relationship with an urgent care
when it comes to getting your employment,you know, even getting back to work,
(04:21):
like, as far as restrictions,I know that sometimes that's tough for
for you guys as providers
to determine whether or not you're goingto send that patient back to work.
But can you can you tell us the differencebetween knowing the job descriptions
and knowing what they can and cannotdo, versus you just being blindly
told this patient can't go back to work?
Yeah. Like with any,
functional
assessment and trying to get an ideaas to what they do as a baseline,
(04:45):
how to determinewhether or not they can return to that.
A good example would be some of thoselike lifting heavy objects,
or they have a back injuryand they can't bend over that.
Obviously it's a limit to that.
However, if they have,
like a cut,
a minor cut, that wouldn't necessarilyprevent them from doing the heavy lifting.
(05:07):
So yeah.
That's a, a functional assessment,the location of the clinic,
especially in relation to the facilityand the employees homes,
make it easy to get recheckedbecause oftentimes, make an assessment
and the injury is such a time zero.
In three days, we expect it to be better.
(05:28):
But I mean, willit will not be as unclear.
And they sometimes need reevaluation.
The convenience of rotationmakes that more feasible.
Yeah.
I think what we're trying to sayhere is that, there is a smarter
and more collaborative way of handlingthis kind of situation.
You would want to take a, think about itin a, like, an end to end solution
(05:49):
when you have that relationshipin advance, when we have the profile of
your work and we know what kind of injurythey might come in with,
and we know that you want that staffto be back at work
as soon as possible for the staff'sbenefit, your benefit.
And we want to work with youto provide that solution
(06:09):
in as perfect manner as possible.
And and that all requires that pre-workof establishing the relationship,
sharing this information in advance,and not wait for the accident to occur
with a clinicthat's also geographically to,
Felix's point is, close to you
so that, it's the most efficientand time saving for everyone.
(06:32):
And that's what it is, isinstead of a statement comes
with that proper planning and advancenotification and so forth.
Yeah.
I think one thing the employers
a lot of times don't think aboutis that pre-employment physical.
I think it's a great way to havea baseline of where you're starting
with that employee because like we'vementioned here, accidents happen, right?
(06:55):
But if you know that that employeehad previously,
a back injury,you might know at that point.
Okay.
Well, if the patientif this employee has a back injury,
then I know that I can't put himin a position where he's going to be,
lifting heavy boxes.
So we'll be able to kind of assessthat for you and fit the right role
for that person, too.So it's it's a great way.
(07:18):
And I think it keeps your alsoyour employees happy.
If you're doing that yearly physical,
you're less likely to have somebodygetting sick all the time because you're
trying to catch these thingsahead of time, right? Felix?
Wouldn't you agree with that?
Yeah.
The preventative aspect, could playa, a small portion of it,
but it could hopefully identify thingsearly on
(07:39):
and ideally prevent the kind of injuriesthat could occur at the workplace.
Yeah.
So I think it's also those like thethe different kinds of injured injury.
Plus there is a physical aspectof being injured.
And then there's the psychologicalor mental aspect of
you know, some suffering also that,
that, that will have to be addressedand properly solved for,
(08:04):
I mean, mentally a persononce one's affected physically,
that mental effect can carry on for daysand weeks and months.
And, and that can affect the also.
So how do we handle all of that and whatwe do to put together proper solutions.
Yeah. Also a very certified psychiatrist.
So that would be.
(08:27):
He is joking.
So when employers make, I think health
just part of their workforce in general,it definitely improves their workforce.
It improves their employeeshealth, makes them happier.
We I mean, we have a business that we runbetween the three of us.
We have obviously tons of staffthat we work that we work with.
(08:48):
And I think
one of the big things that we do forour staff is keeping them happy mentally.
And sometimes that includes making surethat they're being properly treated.
But it also ensuresthat they're getting their health checks,
within the time frame that is needed.
So thankfully, we are in urgent careso they can come to us any time.
(09:10):
But, it's good to have that relationshipas an employer.
Yeah, I think it's one less worry.
One less worry.
Yeah.
And if you're a business owner or managerlistening to the podcast right now.
So again, to build that relationshipnow is the best time
versus waiting for the next accidentto happen and impact your business.
(09:31):
So you want to be proactive about itand reach out
and start working towards,you know, proactive solutions.
Yeah.
Oh, one thingI didn't mention that I wanted to touch
based on is when you have a relationshipwith your urgent care,
typically you can get lowerpricing on all the work that or all
the physicals and checkups that you are,or even a sick with a sick visit.
(09:54):
If you don't want to go to a workman'scomp,
you can do, directpricing with that location.
And that wayit doesn't affect your workman's comp.
So those are also thingsto think about as a business owner,
building that relationshipwith your local urgent care, for sure.
All right.
We covered a lot about,workman's comp and occupational,
(10:15):
health, the topic and how to handle this.
And, in a planned manner.
What are the benefits of
benefits of, sharing information,
with your closest and, best,
for the benefit of you and your staff?
You appreciate, listening to the podcast.
And thanks for this.And thanks for joining.
(10:38):
Thank you.
Or located at 354 Sawmill Road in West
Haven, AMC right here, right now.
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