As 2020 draws to a close, I want to extend the gratitude of myself and the entire DORN team to our clients and providers, as well as the employees who participated in any of our workplace safety programs this year. Through unprecedented circumstances, our partners across the country have worked tirelessly—in some cases putting themselves at risk—to ensure that our client workforces can continue essential operations and keep business moving forward.
Above all, DORN has sought to provide injury prevention solutions to supplement our clients’ own safety plans, knowing that workers experiencing altered work environments and all-time-high stress levels would need more support than ever to do their jobs safely. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide that assistance to so many employees across America.
Over the last year, we’ve developed a handful of new safety solutions designed to meet today’s greatest workplace challenges. We’ve created virtual training programs and ergonomic solutions conducted via video conference, and taught employees how to relieve discomfort and pain with virtual self-care massage techniques they can use at home or on-site. We also continued to provide on-site safety support for clients across the nation, and published a case study that illustrates how in-person safety solutions, even adapted for social distancing, remain critically important. Our eBook on COVID preparedness in the workplace, which was developed in consultation with the CDC, NSC and 15 global safety directors, has been downloaded over 1,000 times and served as the foundation for our new audit service focusing on the five pillars of readiness.
This year also offered the DORN team some new opportunities to connect with safety professionals and their networks. We launched the DORN Injury Prevention Academy Podcast, where we’ve hosted experts from Tesla, Dover, Cargill, and other major companies to talk about their strategies for workplace safety and injury prevention through the pandemic and beyond. The show has tallied thousands of views already, and we’re excited to continue podcasting in 2021.
At the same time, the DORN team has also been looking to the future. We’re cautiously optimistic about next year’s outlook—at the time of this writing, two COVID-19 vaccines have already been approved for distribution in the United States, with others coming down the pipeline. We’re also prepared for the fact that with months to go before we can expect a return to normalcy, the problem of workplace injuries is likely to grow. With many businesses in recovery mode and workers adapting to ever-changing conditions, stress will remain high and employees will need continued injury prevention support from their safety leaders and provider partners, like DORN.
We know there’s uncertainty ahead. A new administration will take over in Washington next year, and political changes almost always ripple out to the world of workplace safety. Efforts to distribute the vaccine will also present obstacles for businesses and safety leaders, and we’re sure to hear of changes at OSHA as well. On average, the American worker is getting older, and safety professionals must be prepared to meet the inherent risk that comes with an aging workforce. Many employees across industries will remain at home well into 2021 and potentially beyond, making virtual safety solutions more important than ever.
I’m confident our providers and clients are ready to meet the challenge. In 2021, you can expect DORN to offer continued innovation in workplace safety, with new ergonomic and training technology launching at the start of the new year allowinging us to support more workers at more locations than ever before. As Americans receive vaccines and the nation begins to move toward a new normal, DORN will be here to ensure you have the tools you need to maintain safe workplaces and keep employees pain- and injury-free.
We wish you, your employees, and all of your families a safe, healthy, and wonderful holiday season and a pain- and injury-free New Year!
