PowerPoint

Presentation for
Management of
Occupational Health
and Safety

Prepared by
Bernadette Gatien

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd.

Chapter 13
Disability Management
and Return to Work

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education

Ltd. 13-2
 Learning Objectives
• After reading this chapter, you should be
able to:
– Articulate the financial and legal motivations for
disability management programs
– Describe the goals and values of disability
management programs
– Discuss the important outcomes used to evaluate
disability management efforts
– Discuss the best practices in disability management
programming continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-3
 Learning Objectives
• After reading this chapter, you should be
able to:
– Consider the benefits of return-to-work planning
– Describe the common methods and approaches
used in workplace accommodation
– Identify the stakeholders in disability management
programs
– Consider potential barriers to successful disability
management

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-4

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd.

Organizations can use

disability management to:
• Prevent workplace injuries and
illnesses
Disability • Facilitate successful return to work
Management for injured employees
There are many reasons for
organizations to engage in
active disability
management

13
-5
 • Financial Motives
– More than 300 million
workplace accidents occur
worldwide per year
Motives for – Workplace disability costs
Disability about 4% of global GDP
Management – In Canada
• 2017: 251 625 claims for lost
time lost-time injuries
• 2017: For every 100 workers,
there were 1.58 lost-time
injuries compensated

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-6

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd.

Moral and Social Motives

• Emotional and health costs
associated with not working:
• Higher rates of depression, social
exclusion, anxiety
Motives for • Work is a source of meaning,
Disability identity, and social support
Management
Legal Motives
• In Canada, human rights legislation
protects the rights of injured
workers
• Duty to accommodate and undue
hardship

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 • Legal Motives
– Duty to accommodate:
• Legislated responsibility of
employers to accommodate
Motives for workers who are attempting to
Disability return to work following an
injury or illness via changes in
Management
job tasks and/or the work
environment to enable
workers with a temporary or
permanent disability to
perform work productively

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-8

 • Legal Motives
– Undue hardship
• Aspect of human rights
Motives for legislation that means
employers must accommodate
Disability the needs of a disabled worker
Management unless the necessary
modifications would lead to
health and safety difficulties or
present unsustainable
economic or efficiency costs

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-9

 • Disability Management
– Proactive employer practices
to prevent or reduce
workplace disability,
intervening early in risk or
Disability injury, and providing
Management coordinated management
and rehabilitation functions
to promote workers’
recovery and safe and timely
return to work

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-10

 • Disability management
programs are most effective
using a systems approach
• Systems Approach
– An approach to disability
Disability management that
Management emphasizes the work and
organizational context
• Disability management
programs are integrated
into all aspects of the
workplace
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 • Primary Values for Disability
Management Programs:
– Safe and productive
Assessing employment for individuals,
Disability including those with
Management disabilities
Programs – Reduced incidence and
impact of workplace injury
and illness

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-12

 • Indicators of program
success:
– Decreased rates of incidents
Assessing and illness
Disability – Shorter duration of work
Management disability
Programs – Reduced associated costs
(e.g., wage replacement)
– Sustained return to work
– Improved quality of life

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-13

 • People-focused Climate
– Values human resources and
supports safety initiatives
Best Practices – Employees have a voice in
in the program
Disability • Prevention Focus
Management – Efforts to reduce the
incidence of illness and injury
in the workplace

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 • Prevention Focus
– Prevention efforts that
reduce the incidence of
illness and injury result in
cost savings for
Best Practices
organizations.
in Disability
– A good starting point when
Management developing a disability
management program is to
examine the organization’s
safety record

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-15

 Early Intervention

• Reduce risks for injury and

illness
• Look for patterns in absence
data and intervene
Disability • Make early contact with injured
workers
Management
Education

• Supervisors play important roles

in prevention and in return to
work. They need to be trained in
all aspects of the programming.

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-16

 Integrated Case
RTW Case Management
Management/Monitoring
• Co-ordinated services • Facilitates multiple
Disability for ill and injured
employees
aspects of process (e.g.,
insurance claims
Management • Return-to-work
coordinator
process) and eases
experience claims and
RTW experience for
employees

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-17

 Disability
Management

• Return-to-work
coordinator
– Person who is
responsible for
return-to-work case
management

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-18

 Return-to-Work Planning:
• Collaboratively developed,
individualized plan that
identifies an injured or ill
worker’s return-to-work goals
Return-to-
Workplace
Work Accommodation
Planning • Modifications to the
arrangement of work that
promote early and safe return to
work for injured, ill, or disabled
workers
• Vital aspect of RTW planning

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-19

 Return-to-
Work
Planning
• Types of Workplace Accommodation:
– Light-duty work
• Workplace accommodation
where workers return to a
job that is less demanding
than their previous job
– Gradual work exposure
• A type of light-duty
accommodation where job
demands slowly increase
until the workers are
performing the full
requirement of their pre-
injury jobs

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-20

 • Types of Workplace Accommodation:
– Work trials
• A form of accommodation where workers
Return- return to work on a trial basis

to-Work – Supported and sheltered work

• Modified work arrangements designed to
help those with permanent disabilities who
Planning have either not been successful in
competitive work environments or require
substantial support to return to work.

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-21

Physical • Standardized evaluation

Demand Physical
Demands
Analysis
of the physical and
cognitive demands of a

Analysis
job completed by a person
(PDA) familiar with the job

• A standardized
assessment of an injured
or ill worker’s ability to
Functional perform job tasks that is
Ability completed by a member
Assessment of the health care team
treating the injured
worker

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-22

 • PDA and FAA can help
identify the types of job
Physical modifications and
accommodations that
Demand would lead to a safe and
Analysis early return to work for an
injured worker.

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-23

Stakeholders in Disability Management
• Injured or ill workers
• Employers
• Unions
• Health care providers
• Insurance providers
• Governments
• Disability management contractors

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-24

Barriers to Return to Work

• Slowdowns in the
process (e.g.,
paperwork delays)
• Psychosocial factors
• Fear
• Long absences

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 Barriers to Return to Work
• Disability-related absence often has three
stages:
– Acute (1–30 days)
– Subacute (31–90 days)
– Chronic (91 + days)

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-26

 Barriers Long absences can be a
to Return barrier to successful return
to work.
to Work
Private insurers estimate
average length of a chronic
disability is nearly three
years.

When early and safe return

is possible, facilitating early
return is important for all
stakeholders.

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-27

 Labour market re-entry
Barriers programs can help an individual
to Return who cannot return to the
original workplace.
to Work
During the labour market re-
entry process, the injured, ill, or
disabled worker’s capabilities,
experience, and training are
reviewed.
Additional skills training may be
provided to help the worker find
employment that provides
earnings comparable to those in
the previous job.
Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-28
OH&S Notebook
13.3 The social context of the
Stigma and workplace can influence
Return to Work return-to-work outcomes.

Ill and injured workers

sometimes report feeling
stigmatized during the
return-to-work process.

These experiences include

things like discrimination
and being avoided or
ignored.

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-29

OH&S Notebook
13.3 Workers who have “invisible”
Stigma and conditions may feel particularly
Return to Work vulnerable to stigma.

Employers must look for ways to

manage the stigma and its negative
outcomes including:

Promoting
Education
contact
Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-30
 Video Link
• Return to Work
– https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8EM-aSmWds
(2min, 51sec)

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-31

 End-of-Chapter Activities
• Answer the end-of-chapter questions and
exercises to test your knowledge of the costs
and benefits of disability management programs
• You should have an understanding of:
– The ways to empower employees when developing
and implementing disability management programs
– How climate/culture influences the work
environment

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 13-32