THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 11
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Diamond Construction safety officer Stacy Martens has Return to Work plans and procedures in place to support ill and injured workers. Photo by DARCY FINLEY
RETURN TO WORK PROGRAMS HELP SPEED UP RECOVERY BY PAT ST. GERMAIN
P revention is always better than a cure. When injuries and illness occur, supportive employers don’t just send wishes for a speedy recovery, they help workers achieve it. Workers Compensation Board (WCB) manager of Return to Work Program Services and Employer Relations Chris Poot says his department was established about 18 months ago to increase focus on Return to Work (RTW) programs and build awareness of their benefits to employers and workers alike. “There is considerable medical research out there — and it’s all readily available — that tells us that recovery is better and faster when you resume activity,” he says. “And so that’s just
such as administrative or other light duty work.” He recommends employers take advantage of WCB’s free one-day workshop, RTW Basics, to learn how to create and manage an effective RTW program to bring injured workers back to the workplace in a safe and timely manner. A WCB Basics workshop is required for construction safety officers and response to the optional RTW Basics course has been overwhelmingly positive. Diamond Construction safety officer Stacy Martens is a past participant who sees the value of having RTW plans and procedures in place for her company and its workforce, which numbers about 100 during peak periods. “We all know that when people work they feel fulfilled and feel worthwhile,” she says, adding it’s
as simple as getting up and brushing your teeth and having a shower and going to work. All of those things participate in your recovery.” Poot advises employers to do some advance planning. An injury might require light duties, or alternative duties within limitations set by by the worker’s doctor, so it’s important to be prepared by creating a set of modified duties that can be matched to medical restrictions.
better for a worker’s physical and mental health to rejoin their peers rather than be isolated at home. “We haven’t, thankfully, had a lot of injuries as far as prolonged time off, but there have been a couple of circumstances where we’ve had to do Return to Work and use the Return to Work modified program,” she says. “It’s not always possible to get them right back, obviously, to their original
WHEN INJURIES AND ILLNESS OCCUR, SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYERS DON’T JUST SEND WISHES FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY, THEY HELP WORKERS ACHIEVE IT.
kept him off the job site for a short period of time spent a few productive days reviewing manuals in the Diamond Construction safety office. “We needed to review procedures for our different pieces of equipment and the ones that he was familiar with he was able to help us out and do that, so for that little bit of time that he needed to rest, he was able to fulfill something that we needed for our safety program as far as employee review and he was able to get back to work,” Martens says. “I think in general it just creates a healthy work environment and … we hope as a company to have an environment where if they’re not there they do feel missed and they feel like they’re part of their community of construction.”
Poot notes that RTW programs are also good for employers’ and workers’ financial health. WCB premiums decrease as lost-time injuries decrease and the heavy construction industry has seen rates fall as safety programs have improved over the years. “When that happens it makes you just a little more competitive and it allows you to hang on to some of your talent, because there is a shortage coming, we make no bones about that.” For a worker, returning to work or staying at work helps remove financial uncertainty and allows for the continuation of contributions to extended health plans and pension plans. “There’s no question about it, it’s better for a worker to be back.” ❱❱❱
“Most employers are seriously trying to hang on to their talent because they are people that have some skills and they want them to keep working there and be productive, and one of the ways, especially in construction, is to keep them, as often as possible, working with the crews, working on site,” he says. “One of the things that we suggest is to temporarily assign individuals to alternate work
duties or tasks, but alternatives in work for the employee would maybe be a modified job in the same workplace, maybe a similar job in a different workplace within the company, a different job in the same workplace or sometimes even a different job in a different workplace within the company. It’s just trying to get them back to work as quickly as possible.” In one instance, a loader operator whose injury
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