Disability Management and Return to Work Plan for Injured Employees

This article discusses the disability management and return to work plan for injured employees at XYZ Enterprises. It covers the current state of the worker, assessment of functional ability, stakeholder communication, barriers to return to work, and risk factors. The article emphasizes the importance of implementing a specific procedure to ensure that injured employees do not face any problems.

Occupation Health and Safety

Table of Contents
Part I-Introduction.................................................................................................................................2
Part II- Disability Management.............................................................................................................2
Part III-Return to work plan..................................................................................................................2
a) Current state of the ability of the worker and type of modification strategy which can be
implemented......................................................................................................................................2
b) Assessment of how the functional ability of the worker fits with the physical demand analyses of
the modified work position................................................................................................................2
c) Determination of the stakeholders and outlining how the communication should take place
between them.....................................................................................................................................3
d) Identification of barriers to return to work and how to address them............................................3
e) Identification of risk factors...........................................................................................................3
Part IV-Summary..................................................................................................................................4
References.............................................................................................................................................5
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Part I-Introduction
XYZ enterprises is depicted to an environmental services organization. The organization has
its offices across Canada and about 2500 staff is employed in different roles. The employees
at the field positions spend their time collecting samples from different locations. They need
driving in all kinds of road and weather conditions, carrying and lifting up to 23 kg, record
keeping and operating equipment. The employees at laboratory positions spend time in the
chemical laboratory and employees at the office positions spend their time on the phone, in
front of computers and in meetings. The organization has work instructions and safety
policies but the injured workers are facing difficulties. The occupation health and safety act
provides rules and regulations for ensuring the health and safety of the employees.
Part II- Disability Management
Please refer to the template.
Part III-Return to work plan
a) Current state of the ability of the worker and type of modification strategy which can
be implemented
The case depicts that John Smith suffered due to a knee injury which occurred while carrying
out a work in the garage. He was prescribed pain medication and anti-inflammatory and
advised for walking with crutches. The excessive use of upper body led to the development of
arm condition which limited the ability of John Smith to use his crutches. The insurance
company classified him as totally disabled. The modified strategies should be provided to
John Smith. There should be light duty work, work trials, gradual work exposure and
sheltered and supported work (Loisel&Anema, 2013). The management of XYZ Company
should provide an appropriate modified job to John smith on the basis of his health condition.
The HR and OH&S should take the responsibility of providing the modified job to him.
b) Assessment of how the functional ability of the worker fits with the physical demand
analyses of the modified work position
John Smith is suffering from injuries and he cannot perform safely such as standing, sitting,
walking and lifting. He is not able to move around freely which affected him and he was not
able to use crutches for the extended time period. He will also not be able to drive because of
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the bad knee. The insurance company has also classified him as disabled. He fits with the
PDA of the modified work position. The health condition of John Smith is critical as per the
report and information. Thus, the management of XYZ Company should understand the
situation of him.
c) Determination of the stakeholders and outlining how the communication should take
place between them
John Smith should inform XYZ Company about his current health condition. The supervisor,
HR and OH&S should communicate how they would provide modified work to him. The
healthcare provider should provide all the health-related information to the organization. The
insurance company should also inform to the management of XYZ Company that he is totally
disabled. The company is providing STD payments while at home. The management team of
XYZ Company should gather all the necessary information through an effective
communication process (Melhorn& Hyman, 2011). The communication flow between the
stakeholders will assist to understand the situation of the workers and what strategies need to
be implemented on the basis of that.
d) Identification of barriers to return to work and how to address them
The XYZ organization experiences significant delays in case of providing modified work.
The injured worker does not work till the modified work is being offered and accepted
formally. The return to work process in a case where the injured employee is off work does
not follow a specific procedure. The HR department or OH&S department is responsible to
carry out the work but confusion occurs because they do not know whether or not the
modified work duties or hours will be available. They also get confused about how the
required communication paperwork takes place. The employee faces huge difficulties and
negative experiences. The return to work planning guide should be followed by the
management of XYZ Company. The return to work process needs to be carried out
appropriately in order to overcome the difficulties faced by the organization and injured
workers. A specific procedure needs to be followed (Stokes, Moore, Smith, Rowland & Scott,
2016).
e) Identification of risk factors
The risk is that John Smith is suffering from a serious health issue. He has suffered due to the
lack of personal safety. It is considered to be a major concern for John Smith and
management. John Smith needs to follow the instructions in order to decrease the risk.
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Part IV-Summary
The disability management and return to work program provides many benefits to the injured
employees. The employees are able to get a modified job and return to work in minimum
time and with appropriate procedure. The employees feel happy and satisfied with the
program. The managers of an organization should implement the disability management and
return to work program for the injured employees in order to ensure that they do not face any
problems.
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References
Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management (8th ed.). London: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Campling, J. (2008). Management (10th ed.). Milton, Qld.: John Wiley & Sons Australia.
Donner, E., Whitener, V., &Konopaski, K. (2012). Workplace safety & health program (6th
ed.). Olympia, WA: State of Washington Joint Legislative Audit and Review
Committee.
Geisen, T., & Harder, H. (2011). Disability management and workplace integration (11th
ed.). Farnham, England: Gower.
Ivancevich, J., &Konopaske, R. (2013). Human resource management (9th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Loisel, P., &Anema, J. (2013). Handbook of work disability (3rd ed.). New York, NY:
Springer.
Melhorn, J., & Hyman, M. (2011). AMA Guide to the Evaluation of Work Ability and Return
to Work, Second Edition (2nd ed.). Alpharetta: American Medical Association.
Stokes, P., Moore, N., Smith, S., Rowland, C., & Scott, P. (2016). Organizational
management(5th ed.). London, United Kingdom: Kogan Page.
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