When Phifer Incorporated looked at its workplace safety data, the numbers told a clear story: there was an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries across the team. 

As a manufacturer of woven wire products, drawn wire, precision-engineered components and coated yarns, the company’s 1,200-person workforce operated in an environment that reflected the traditional characteristics of heavy industry. With operations spanning 1.5 million square feet, employees transformed raw materials into finished goods through complex processes including drawing, coating, beaming, weaving, tentering and grading.

The physical demands were significant. Operators regularly engaged in tasks requiring forceful movements and awkward postures while adjusting and repairing machinery, all while working on concrete floors for entire shifts. A compounding factor was Phifer’s aging workforce, with high retention and low turnover creating an average employee age of 48. This combination heightened the potential impact of musculoskeletal disorders across the team.

Tackling the Problem

Phifer responded with what Russell DuBose, VP of human resources, described as “a multidisciplinary and holistic approach” centered on prevention, intervention and optimal care. The company formed a core team composed of safety, workers’ compensation, human resources, and onsite healthcare professionals, expanding to include shop floor representatives for specific roles.

The foundation of Phifer’s approach was an impressive array of onsite healthcare resources located at their wellness park, situated a quarter mile from the main facility. The company established a physician-led health center, a fully engaged pharmacy, a chiropractic, imaging and physical therapy center, and access to behavioral health expertise. All services are provided at no cost to employees and family members.

What makes Phifer’s program unique is how these resources serve dual roles. “Because the law allows us to assign the attending treating physician, our onsite health center, that medical team dual hats as the treating physician for occupational injury and illness,” explained DuBose. “If we have a workplace incident, the same health care team coalesces around that injured worker. They just changed hat from being the primary care team. Now they’re the treating physician team.”

This seamless transition is supported by sophisticated technology. Using Athena as their electronic medical records system, Phifer maintains a separate module for workers’ compensation that keeps it walled off from health care while allowing the same care team to leverage their comprehensive knowledge of each employee.

Roger Brown, corporation director, emphasized how this translates into practical prevention. Every new hire enters a comprehensive two-week post-hire training academy where they learn job fundamentals in a supervised, no-fault environment while getting acclimated to work conditions. During this period, they establish baselines at the onsite health center and undergo Post-Offer Employment Testing (POET) at the chiropractic imaging and physical therapy center.

“We have three outcomes to a POET,” Brown said. Some applicants leave during the process, others pass completely and a third group can do the job but need remediation. For this last group, Phifer provides strengthening plans and equipment, evaluating progress throughout their academy training to ensure they’re ready for shop floor work.

Russell DuBose, VP of human resources, Phifer

The training incorporates what Brown calls a revolutionary perspective on injury prevention. “We have a two-person coaching team. They’ve been taught by the physical therapist. That’s when they do all the stretching and rotational exercises,” he said. “The stretching and rotational exercises heat up the synovial fluid in the joints, and that prepares them to start work. So that’s the model that we’ve kind of fallen into.”

Taking their prevention strategy further, Phifer implemented two groundbreaking programs. The first addressed the fundamental challenge of employees working on concrete floors. After a year-long search for the right partner, the company invested in state-of-the-art orthotics equipment from Aetrex and trained their own team as master fitters.

“The employees walk in. They stand on this device. It has a really interactive big screen, and their feet come up, and it begins analyzing them,” DuBose said. The system identifies pressure points, standing patterns and wear patterns to create custom orthotics specifications. Every employee receives a new set annually at no charge, with the entire company fitted within three months of program launch.

The second major initiative involved ergonomic exoskeleton wearables to address hip, low back, and shoulder stress. Partnering with a Minnesota-based company, Phifer trialed three models before implementation. The program revealed an unexpected benefit: “We actually learned the magic of exoskeletons because they really don’t have to wear them indefinitely,” DuBose said. “What it actually is doing is retraining the body on how to properly move.”

Phifer approached exoskeleton implementation with clear ethical boundaries.  “We would never, as a company, change the physical demands of the job and make them harder because we’ve introduced exoskeleton technology that can increase the capability of the worker, but that is not our intent, ever,” Brown said.

The company expanded its chiropractic services to focus specifically on musculoskeletal issues, choosing functional chiropractic that uses scientific measurement rather than traditional adjustment approaches. Using neural conductivity equipment and the Polestar system, providers establish baselines and longitudinally map every employee to measure treatment effectiveness scientifically.

Organization: Phifer Incorporated * Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. * Number of Employees: 1,200 * Category: Manufacturing & Heavy Industry

When injuries do occur, Phifer’s response demonstrates the power of their integrated approach. “The primary care team uses an advanced primary care model,” Brown said. “The primary care team — the MD, the pharmacist, the chiropractor, the physical therapist — they swarm around the injured worker and create a multimodal treatment plan.”

This collaborative process includes on-site dispensing of medications through their full-service pharmacy, eliminating barriers to treatment. The company’s FAST team, composed of EMT basics, provides immediate response while being less than five minutes from hospital support when needed.

Success to Build On

Phifer’s comprehensive approach has delivered remarkable results. The company’s OSHA recordable incident rate plunged, as did the company’s compensable claims. Annual workers’ compensation spending decreased dramatically, representing the company’s lowest metrics in more than 15 years.

The sustainability of these improvements is ensured through integration into the company’s business rhythm via monthly corporate and operational safety committee reviews, charter goal initiatives, and kaizen events. This consistent visibility maintains momentum and enables continuous program refinement.

Looking ahead, Phifer continues innovating with artificial intelligence integration across their safety and training programs. The company has successfully translated all policy documents into employees’ native languages with greater than 99.8% accuracy, completing what would have been a year-long project in just two weeks.

Additionally, Phifer is incorporating AI into training models with VR systems to help train employees on proper bending and equipment handling techniques before they work on the shop floor, representing the next evolution of its prevention-focused approach.

The success of Phifer’s program demonstrates that exceptional employee care requires more than good intentions — it demands comprehensive resources, innovative thinking, and unwavering commitment. As DuBose reflected, “Success has come through teamwork of shop floor employees, health professionals, and senior leadership. Our collaborative approach ensures all perspectives are valued and that solutions are both practical and effective.” &

The Theo Award celebrates its sophomore year, honoring 32 workers’ compensation programs for their excellence and service to workers across the nation. To learn more about the award and amazing qualities each winner possesses, visit here.