“Seeing the impact is why I’m so passionate about the work we do.”
Tell us a bit about yourself
Name: David Carroll
Role: Chief Operating Officer at Bodycare Workplace Solutions
Favourite Sports Team: My favourite sport is cycling. I love the teamwork involved, where eight people contribute to one result. While one rider takes the win, the rest of the team all play a critical role, whether that is carrying water bottles or protecting the lead rider from the wind.
What’s your background?: I am a physiotherapist and exercise scientist by background. Early in my career, I spent time overseas working as a cardiac technician before completing my Master’s in Physiotherapy and moving into occupational health.
I have spent a significant part of my career working onsite in high-risk environments, particularly in the mining sector across Central Queensland. Over time, I have moved into leadership roles, including leading Bodycare New Zealand following COVID, and now as COO based in Melbourne. I have been with Bodycare for over 10 years.
What shaped your approach to injury prevention?
Working onsite in the mines gave me a clear view of the real impact of workplace injuries.
One situation that has always stayed with me involved a worker with a severe back injury. We explored every rehabilitation option available, including pain management and functional conditioning programs, but each time he returned underground, he experienced significant back spasms and could not perform his role.
He was also illiterate, which made it incredibly difficult for him to transition into alternative work. The reality was that he relied on a mining income to support his family, and the pressure of moving through the workers’ compensation system had a profound impact on both him and his family.
Seeing that outcome up close reinforced the importance of preventing injuries before they reach that point.
Not long after, I saw the opposite. A worker came to us with persistent elbow pain that had been misdiagnosed for nearly a year. He was close to being unable to continue in his role.
One of our physiotherapists identified that it was not tennis elbow, but a radial nerve entrapment. That change in diagnosis made all the difference. We worked closely with the specialist and insurer to extend his recovery timeframe, and he went on to make a full recovery.
A few weeks later, he returned to thank the team. The clinic was filled with flowers, and it was clear how much that outcome meant to him.
Seeing those two situations so close together cemented my belief in the importance of having the right people, the right diagnosis, and the right systems in place. It is also why I am so passionate about preventing injuries wherever possible.
What drives effective injury prevention onsite?
It starts with trust. If the workforce trusts you, there is very little you cannot achieve onsite. Building that trust begins with genuinely understanding the work people do, the demands of their role, and even the language they use day to day.
A mentor once told me to “be interested, not interesting”, and that has always stuck with me. The more effort you put into understanding the worker and their environment, the stronger that connection becomes.
Trust is also built through early intervention. When you can help someone manage pain or prevent an issue from escalating, it creates immediate confidence in the service.
Equally important is understanding your role. Workers are experts in their jobs. Our role is to combine that knowledge with our understanding of the body to help them perform their work safely and sustainably.
When that trust is established, workers are more likely to engage early, share information, and highlight risks that may otherwise go unnoticed. This creates better data, which leads to more targeted and effective injury prevention programs.
How do you build high-performing teams at scale?
For me, it comes down to having the right people and creating the right environment for them to succeed.
We talk a lot about “flexibility within boundaries”. That means setting clear expectations around who we are and how we operate, while giving our clinicians the autonomy to use their skills, experience and judgement to solve problems in real-world environments.
We invest heavily in finding people who align with our values, are adaptable, and have the confidence to navigate complex situations onsite.
From there, our role as a business is to support them. That means training them well, providing strong systems and clinical governance, and creating an environment where they can grow. When our people grow, the business grows with them.
We are also focused on continuing to improve how we deliver our services at scale. This includes strengthening clinical quality, building more consistent and repeatable injury prevention frameworks, and better demonstrating the value and impact of our work to clients.
Alongside this, we are placing a strong emphasis on client care. High-quality clinical delivery and strong client relationships go hand in hand, and both are essential to achieving long-term outcomes.
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