Welcome

Return to work: part of good occupational health and safety

HCHSA Toronto, Ontario

February 21, 2005

Assumptions about you

• You’re involved in occupational health and safety, and you want to better understand RTW issues and opportunities

• You want to make a difference in your workplace, by

helping to improve upon the well-being of your employees.

• You also want to contribute to improved productivity and performance.

Why be concerned?

Direct Costs

Hidden Costs

Why be concerned?

Cost• Direct costs of a workplace injury that results

in time away from work: $12,200

• Hidden costs to the workplace can range from between 3 to 10 times the direct costs

Why be concerned?

Employer’s legal responsibilities

• To accommodate employees -- unless the employer demonstrates the expenses will cause undue hardship

• To provide a healthy and safe workplace

• A proactive approach to helping injured workers return to safe and productive work as soon possible

• Partnership between all parties; common goal of return to work

• Minimize the human and financial impact of workplace injuries and illness

Return to Work

What we know

Amount of time off work

Chance of Returning to work

6 months to 1 year 50%

1 year - 2 years 20%

More than 2 years 10%

Time matters

What we know

Benefits for employers of a good return to work program

• Demonstrates commitment to employees• Contains costs• Improves working environment and employee

morale• Limits productivity losses • Maintains a skilled workforce• Continuous improvement for work, workstations

and work processes

Benefits for employees of a good return to work program

• Shortens recovery time and can improve prognosis

• Minimizes financial impact of lost wages• Reduces the risk of physical complications or

permanent disability • Maintains self-esteem • Maintain job skills

What we know

RTW: making it happen

• Report and investigate injuries promptly

• Determine functional abilities

• Develop a written RTW plan

• Implement the RTW plan

• Evaluate

RTW roles & procedures

Some key issues: • who should the worker notify if an injury?• Who completes the form 7?• Who’s responsible for maintaining contact?

How often?• Who determines the availability of suitable

employment, and how? • Who will investigate the incident, and how?

How will this information be used?

Information for injured workers

Prepared information packages could include:

• letter to injured worker confirming availability of suitable work

• letter to health care provider explaining your RTW program, specifying an employer contact. Include description of regular job demands, plus details known about alternate duties available

• Functional abilities form

WSIB resources

Service Delivery Team members:• Claims Adjudicator• Nurse Case Manager• Account Manager or Customer Service

Representive

RTW resources:• Ergonomists• Mediators

5 Steps to Managing Health and Safety

1. Set standards

2. Communicate

3. Train

4. Evaluate

5. Acknowledge success and make improvements

Standards

• H&S expectations and policies, identified by management.

• Provides a benchmark to use when evaluating H&S

• May have to develop procedures to measure compliance

• Ensure standards are met through inspections, evaluations, documentation

• Who does what?

Communicate

• Ensure specific standards/expectations clearly understood.

• All should understand their own roles and responsibilities to prevent injuries

• Options include: formal training, orientation, staff meetings, email, newsletters

• Check for understanding

Train

• Ensure all employees receive health and safety training relevant to their jobs/roles

• Orientation, job changes, return from absences. Keep it current

• Formal/informal. Check for understanding.

• Cover rights, responsibilities, health and safety, roles, company policies & procedures.

Evaluate

• Are H&S activities consistent with standards in place? Are goals being met?

• What is/isn’t working well?

• Survey staff to learn if they understand their roles.

• Are communications to and from employees clear and understood?

• Is training sufficient?

Acknowledge success and make improvements

• Use info obtained from evaluation process. Make changes as necessary

• Learn from “best practices”

• Recognize what’s going well: performance appraisals, employee rewards, public recognition, incentive programs