Converting an existing fitness center
Converting an existing corporate wellness or fitness center into a much more productive EMC doesn't have to be a difficult task. However, there are a few things to bear in mind when considering the conversion of existing space.
Location
Easy access to the EMC facility is critically important for the success of the program. Is the space you're considering readily available to the plant personnel who will use it most? Will a single, centralized facility be a better choice for your plant, or will you need a satellite facility to accommodate workers who are far removed from a primary EMC space?
Services needed
A conversation with an InjuryFree staff consultant will help you determine the services you require. Those services will vary depending on your goals, the nature of the work and job tasks performed by employees, your plant's history of injuries and discomfort complaints, and the number of employees at your facility.
Space allotment
A number of factors figure into the space you'll need for your EMC facility. The most important factors are the number and location of employees in your plant, and the types of equipment required to achieve your objectives. Each of our three different areas of focus – care, maintenance and prevention – require different amounts and kinds of equipment and space. Your InjuryFree consultant can help you determine your particular space requirements based on your goals and particular situation.
Equipment needs
Before we can determine the equipment you'll require, we'll need to know how the EMC space will be used. Will the focus be on care, maintenance or prevention? Or which combination of the three?
Location, location, location
No, your EMC doesn't need a great view, but it does need to be easily accessed by the folks who are going to need it the most – your plant employees. When considering implementing an EMC in your plant, rapid access to the facility by workers is absolutely essential.
InjuryFree will do its part to professionally furnish and staff your new EMC. But if your workers can't easily get there during breaks and before and after their shifts begin, then the facility won't be well utilized. And you won't see the results you're looking for.
Corporate gyms and wellness centers are often placed on the periphery of a plant or complex, closer to the management/executive area and away from the manufacturing lines. If you want your employees making the most of the EMC, we strongly encourage you to look for locations right in the heart of your plant, or in locations where natural employee traffic takes your employees near the EMC facility. Trying to fit an EMC into a space you have just because the space exists could prove to be less than completely successful.
Central vs. satellite
Sometimes it makes sense to build a smaller satellite EMC space to meet the needs of employees who are far removed from a primary EMC. Satellite spaces can be quite small, particularly if they are used primarily for soft-tissue treatment and other procedures that don't require large machines devoted to testing. In one instance, a Fortune 500 customer used an OHN's office as a satellite EMC. That way the efficacy of a satellite facility could be tested without any additional capital expense.
In some instances it's easier for InjuryFree staff to get to the workers rather than have workers struggle to get to an EMC on their limited break time. A satellite EMC facility enables that process. Convenience increases utilization, and broad utilization will have a dramatically positive impact on the success of your EMC implementation.
After seeing outstanding success with one EMC, one of our Fortune 200 clients added a second EMC at the far end of one of their sprawling plants to better accommodate their employees. In that instance it made more sense to build and operate two EMC facilities rather than attempt to create a single, central location to handle all of the plant's 850 employees.
Giving up valuable manufacturing space is a difficult thing to do, but it's easier once you understand the value an EMC can deliver to your corporate bottom line and to your employees' well-being.
Size matters
While we can be flexible, a room that's too small seriously constrains our ability to serve your employees to the best of our ability. We recommend that a primary EMC be at least 800 to 1000 square feet. On the other hand, too large a space can actually make the EMC staff less efficient, and also reduces the intimacy of the facility. A great part of the success of the EMC is the camaraderie and collegiality that develops between your employees and our EMC staff.
Two types of EMC facilites
A primary EMC facility is usually staffed on a full-time basis, depending on the size and nature of the shifts operating within the plant. A full-time, fully equipped EMC will usually need to be in the 800 to 1000 square foot range mentioned above. But satellite EMC facilities can be much smaller, depending on their utilization and the number of workers they serve. A satellite EMC with limited staff hours and no major equipment can be fit in a space as small as a 10' x 10' office.
Equipment
So you're thinking about converting an existing fitness area into an EMC. But what to do with all of that equipment? It's possible that some of it may be useful in your new EMC. Your InjuryFree staff consultant will be able to determine if any of the equipment you already have will work in the EMC setting. The main thing to bear in mind is that the equipment recommendations for your EMC are based on need, and that goes back to the goals you have established for your EMC.
There are three main categories of equipment in an EMC:
- Testing equipment
- Care equipment
- Maintenance equipment
Some of the equipment you already have may be useful; some of it may not. We're happy to use equipment you already have as long as it helps meet the goals and objectives we've established together. We can also work to help you dispose of your excess equipment through the relationships we have in secondary markets.
Privacy and confidentiality
One of the secrets to the success of InjuryFree's EMC model is the confidence your workers have in being candid with EMC staff. Because EMC staff operates independently from your company, your workers are much more likely to be candid and forthright about the realities of job-induced injury and discomfort. We've discovered over the years that many employees simply won't share many things with management. However, those same employees will often be very candid with non-company EMC staff.
Don't worry: InjuryFree staff will do everything they can to edify your company and management team and the efforts you've made to initiate an important program like the EMC. But still, your employees will say things to EMC staff that they won't say to your own OHNs and safety personnel.
And that's good. We understand that the EMC is one component (a very important one) of your overall safety and risk management program. It's important for you to learn about the potential risks that exist on your plant floor. If that information comes more easily and quickly through the EMC, that's a great benefit to you and your company.
Ask questions
Once your company has made the decision to establish an EMC in your plant, the tough part is over. Converting an under-utilized gym or workout facility into an EMC may be one of the very best decisions you'll make this year. Your InjuryFree EMC consultant is eager to answer any of your questions and provide the input necessary to make the process as simple as possible. Don't hesitate to call. 206.363.7676 We're eager to help you do the impossible: implement a cost-savings program your employees absolutely love.
In the meantime
This simple survey will help us better understand your situation and needs, and what we need to do to be of greatest help. Please take a few minutes to answer these simple questions.
- How many employees are in your facility?
- Manufacturing?
- White collar?
- How many manufacturing shifts are run each day?
- How many injuries?
- What is your primary reason for investigating InjuryFree Employee Maintenance Centers?