How ATs Work
Industrial environments often present unique physical demands and potential hazards. Learn how ATs provide a significant advantage for both workers and employers below.
Proactive Injury Prevention & Ergonomics
Athletic Trainers (ATs) prioritize workforce longevity by conducting on-site risk assessments to identify hazards and implementing ergonomic solutions that modify workstations to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. These injury prevention programs target the root causes of physical strain. ATs also further empower employees through targeted education on proper body mechanics and custom stretching routines, while fostering a high-performance culture with wellness initiatives focused on nutrition and fitness to ensure a truly resilient and healthy workforce.
Rehabilitation & Return-to-Work
In the industrial setting, Athletic Trainers (ATs) serve as a vital link between injury and a safe return to the job floor. By providing on-site rehabilitation, ATs can deliver immediate therapeutic exercises and modalities to workers who have sustained more significant injuries that accelerate recovery while keeping the worker near the work environment. This clinical expertise is paired with graduated return-to-work programs, which utilize customized, phase-based plans to reintroduce job duties safely, significantly reducing both lost-time incidents and the risk of re-injury. To ensure total readiness, ATs can conduct objective assessments that verify a worker’s physical ability to meet the specific physiological demands of their role before they resume full activity.
Immediate Care & Early Intervention
Industrial Athletic Trainers (ATs) specialize in proactive injury care and early intervention, providing a critical frontline defense against workplace injuries. Through acute injury management, ATs deliver immediate on-site assessments that often resolve issues before they escalate into recordable OSHA incidents. As primary responders, they develop and execute emergency protocols, ensuring that life-safety and first-aid response are both timely and professionally managed.
Beyond physical trauma, ATs facilitate personal injury management and mental health support, identifying behavioral health conditions and collaborating with specialists to monitor progress while maintaining strict medical confidentiality. When advanced care is required, their referral management expertise ensures workers are directed to the most appropriate medical specialists, effectively streamlining the entire continuum of care and reducing healthcare costs for the organization.
We asked ATs to share their champion moments on the job.
"My champion moment was when I developed a job rotation calculator to advocate for a healthy environment and job expectations." - CP
"My champion moment was presenting to client leaders nationally on a compact design to make self care tools available at workstations all throughout the company without taking up floor space." - JF
"My champion moment is every time I go to a doctor's appointment and help translate the medicalese from provider to patient." - LB
"My champion moment is educating my industrial athletes that their safety isn’t just important at work but at home as well. Making connections and making sure my athletes take care of themselves after a tough day and how it can affect more than just their physical health!" - DV
"My champion moment is advocating for my patients who believe that they only deserve bare minimum treatment! Everyone has a voice here." - BH
"A recent champion moment for me was being able to get an employee back into the gym after not having been able to exercise for over a year." - SB
"My champion moment(s) are when I teach my industrial athletes to advocate for themselves and their health not just by safety in the workplace but what fuels their body and their soul! They listen more than they may want to let on and do catch key pieces of what we say. So many have turned back to me with nutrition, home safety and personal training goals and wins and I’m so proud of them." - BS
"I feel like a champion for my patients when recommendations to safety or the workplace are made and the client listens and puts them into action. Sometimes the modifications can be small but seeing the change in action for the better in the employees knowing that you made their job safer and easier is such a rewarding feeling!" - TM
"My champion moment is recently helping someone with sciatica type pain have some relief after experiencing discomfort for the last several years." - KS
"A recent healthcare champion moment for me has been working with a long term shoulder patient who came to me the other day so happy that he could finally do yardwork." - MW
"My champion moment is helping explain proper body positioning and ergonomic setup for scientists and advocating for proper equipment to help them achieve this success." - EM
"My champion moment is working with our industrial athletes and teaching them it is possible to work ergonomically correct so they can feel good while working." - TW
"My champion moment is creating proactive work conditioning programs for our new employees to reduce the risk of strains and fix their biomechanics before they even step foot on the plant floor!" - KB
"One of my champion moments was helping an employee go from saying "I'm old you can't help me" to "hey look! I can do this and it doesn't hurt" - AJ
"My champion is a managment level employee who was reluctant to acknowledge the severity of their BP. After obtaining treatment, and truly grasping how bad things were, this manager regularly introduced me as "this one right here... she probably saved my life!" In our busy lives, it is easy to keep our noses to the grind stone, and overlook the consequences on our bodies. We may often be the ONLY healthcare provider un/underinsured people see, so convincing them how important it is to get care beyond saves lives!" - AD
"My champion moments have been catching folks early on with an undiagnosed inflammatory arthritis like RA or PsA and getting them in with a rheumatologist early on to start early treatment so as to minimize joint damage." - DS
"My champion moment is helping “old school” workers realize when jobs they’ve been doing for years can be done in a way that puts less stress on the body or teach them how to perform self care to help their body recover after a hard days work." - KH
"My champion moment was getting site wide first aid training for employees and then having an employee put their skills to action in a real life scenario. Seeing the proud look on his face and the confidence he had to take action makes this job worth while!" - TJ
"I've felt like a champion when I've had the opportunities to provide care and advocate for Spanish speaking patients." - SA
"My champion moment was providing resources to a worker whose sister was in mental health crisis. Happy to say after getting her some help, she is thriving and striving for a better life!" - AJ
"My championship moment has been getting industrial workers who have had chronic issues feeling better than they have in years." - AJ
"My champion moment was delivering a fundamental ergonomic training in Spanish to a major Latin American food manufacturer. This experience allowed me to build strong relationships with one of their local distribution facilities where I helped identify key areas for improvement and supported the implementation of significant capital investments. Our collaborative efforts through engineering controls enhanced both employee safety and operational efficiency." - LA
"My champion moment is starting a program at an auto parts manufacturing plant and watching the recordable injuries fall to single digits in the first year following implementation of our program." - JH
"My championship moment is seeing someone accomplish a goal they’ve worked hard for. Just the other day, a gentleman I’ve been working with for over seven months was able to come off his prediabetes medication—all because he committed to adjusting his lifestyle. It all started with a simple conversation in the clinic, and I had the privilege of watching him put in the hard work that ultimately gave him more years to his life." - HW
"My champion moment was seeing a person go from almost losing their job due to pain to being completely pain free and feeling like a brand-new them!" - EC
" My healthcare champion moment was the day a long time employee was finally approved for his knee replacement after helping advocate for him."