In workplace injury prevention, which description most accurately reflects the scope of the OTR-COTA team?

• A. Educating managers and employees on reducing injuries and ergonomic design
• B. Evaluating employees and treating injuries
• C. Educating employees to be self-sufficient in ADL management after injury
• D. Prescribing orthotics for injured employees

Answer: (A)

In workplace injury prevention, the focus is on stopping injuries before they happen by reducing risk factors through education and changes to the physical work environment. An OTR-COTA team uses their understanding of how people move and interact with tools and tasks to teach managers and employees about safe body mechanics, safer work practices, and how to redesign tasks or workstations to minimize strain. This preventive, design-oriented role is what makes describing them as educating managers and employees on reducing injuries and ergonomic design the best fit.

The other descriptions fit more with post-injury care or medical management rather than prevention: evaluating and treating injuries is about rehabilitation after harm occurs; teaching self-management of activities of daily living after injury focuses on recovery and independence once injury has happened; and prescribing orthotics involves medical device prescription, which is not typically the preventive scope of the team in workplace settings.