Vancouver – British Columbians returning to work after a concussion now have access to new online resources and courses that help them navigate their injury and offer guidance for a safe return to work.
The Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) for Workers and Workplaces is a free resource developed by researchers at the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU). While there is a misconception that concussions only happen to athletes, this tool is intended to be used by people who experience concussion in their everyday lives, like falling off a ladder at a worksite, tripping while walking the dog, or getting into a car crash.
For more information on CATT Workers and Workplaces, visit: https://cattonline.com/workers-workplaces/.
CATT for Workers and Workplaces consists of free online resources including an e-learning course and associated materials that workers, their families, and workplaces can use to navigate the return to work process after sustaining a concussion such as a medical clearance letter and an incident report form if the injury happened at work. CATT is a series of online modules and resources aimed at improving concussion recognition, response, diagnosis, management, and prevention.
Lori Stewart has had concussions both as an athlete and as a film and TV stunt performer in Vancouver.
“I wish that I had something like CATT to help me recover from my concussions. No one had any tools back then to help you get better. The sports world has done so much to bring awareness to this issue and carrying this over to the workplace is really the next logical step,” she says. “Some of my colleagues have suffered long-term effects from not managing their concussions properly and going back to work before they have healed. I’m simply one of the lucky ones.”
A concussion is a form of brain injury caused by a hard blow or jolt to the head, neck, or body. Any force that causes the brain to move quickly inside the skull has the potential to cause a concussion. The leading causes of concussion in working age adults are falls, motor vehicle crashes, and sport and recreational activities.
CATT for Workers and Workplaces was created with support from the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and in partnership with WorkSafeBC.
FYI:
· A concussion is a form of brain injury caused by a hard blow or jolt to the head, neck, or body. Any force that causes the brain to move quickly inside the skull has the potential to cause a concussion. The leading causes of concussion in working age adults are falls, motor vehicle crashes, and sport and recreational activities.
· It is estimated that 1 in every 165 adults is diagnosed with a concussion each year in Canada. However, experts suggest that this number is an underestimation of the true rate of concussions, as many go unreported and undiagnosed.
· Data show that more than 7,700 adults between the ages of 19 and 64 visit an emergency room for concussion every year in B.C.
· According to WorkSafeBC, concussion was the third most reported type of serious injury claim in 2016.
