Meet Faye Fick, an experienced professional working in the field of occupational health and ergonomics, and the owner of Worksite Therapies & Consultation Services. With a rich background as a licensed occupational therapist, Faye has dedicated her career to promoting employee health and safety, initially driven by a personal journey that began with her own work- related injury. Her company, now thriving for 28 years, provides a comprehensive suite of consulting services including injury care, consulting, training, and ergonomic assessments across various industries.
One of Faye's proudest achievements is the development of the Carpenter Applied Learning Center (CALC) for the Carpenter Technology Corp. This innovative program, designed in collaboration with a team of 15 people from various roles at Carpenter, uses work-simulated tasks and applied learning exercises to educate and train employees on ergonomic principles and safe work practices. As this was run with small groups of employees, Covid put a temporary hold on the program and even though it has been several years, employees continue wearing their CALC tee shirts with the key take aways emboldened on the back of the shirts. Since its inception, Carpenter has put hundreds of employees through the program.
Faye has always had an interest in helping people. Her journey into the field of health and safety was profoundly influenced by her own spine injury at the age of 28, after which her interests turned to injury prevention and wanting to help people, especially workers, remain able to do their jobs and earn their living. “My career path took a totally different path than the one I had planned so I knew I was lucky to be in a profession where I could more easily change my focus. Not everyone has that opportunity!” Faye shares. Her passion for health and wellbeing, combined with the ability to pivot her career, underscores her dedication to making a tangible difference in the workplace.
Working as a college-educated female in predominantly male blue-collar industries presented unique challenges for Faye. Her approach to overcoming skepticism involved treating workers with respect, acknowledging their expertise, and actively listening to their concerns. By recognizing and valuing the skills of workers, Faye built trust and collaboration, leading to safer and more productive work environments.
Faye encourages occupational therapists and those in health and safety roles to embrace non-traditional career paths: “As an OT don’t be afraid to work in a non-traditional role. OTs have a unique blend of knowledge and skills that can be leveraged across many different applications. I believe we are natural collaborators and do well outside the medical community where the more traditional roles exist.”
Faye’s story is a testament to the impact that dedicated professionals can have on workplace health and safety. Her commitment to preventing injuries and fostering a culture of respect and collaboration in the workplace serves as an inspiration to others in the field. As she succinctly puts it – “From the start I wanted to keep my business small so I could serve my clients well. Knowing what you want, and don’t want, is important.”
Faye Fick’s journey from a personal injury to becoming an advocate for ergonomics and workplace safety exemplifies resilience, dedication, and the profound difference one individual can make in enhancing the well-being of workers across industries.