A well-known proverb says, “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, involve me and I will understand.” This quote explains what good training can do for any safety program. You may already have a safety program at your job but what about education for your injured employees. Once injured there is a great opportunity to help your employees learn about their injuries and how to prevent further accidents from occurring.
Proof:Positive Consulting can help your injured employees return to work fast, safely and effectively. At Proof:Positive, our objective is to make worksites safer, more efficient, and more profitable. We accomplish this by providing comprehensive light-duty and safety programs that cut operational costs and speed return to work for employees on temporary disability. Aside from accident prevention, an Early Return to Work (ERTW) program is a manager’s best tool to control Worker’s Compensation costs and reduce losses. ERTW programs have been proven to work in state agencies, the public sector and private firms across the nation. The key word is “Early.” Your response at the time you learn of the illness or injury has a profound impact on the outcome of most cases. ERTW actions should start as soon as possible. However, because specific illnesses or injuries may require varying amounts of time for healing, the time limits on Early Return to Work should also be flexible and based on the medical judgement of the treating physician.
Facts You Should Know About Early Return to Work Programs:
- The American Occupational Medical Association’s Committee on Practice states that early return to work enhances both psychological and physical recovery.
- An American Medical Association’s Resolution encourages its members to release employees to work as soon as they are medically able.
- Injured employees off work longer than six months have only a 50% chance of ever returning to their job; if time lost exceeds one year, their chances decrease to less than 10%.
- Compensable injuries can take up to four times longer for recovery; they may cost five times more than non-compensable injuries.
- Early return to work enables the employee to continue a productive life.
- Early return to work reduces costs of replacing the employee, overtime costs, retraining costs, loss of production and related costs, and improves workplace morale.
- Early return to work reduces Temporary Total Disability payments. Employees are on the job, earning wages.
- Early return to work reduces medical costs. The injured employee heals more rapidly, shortening the time medical treatment is needed.
- Early return to work reduces award costs. The potential for an employee to become totally and permanently disabled is greatly decreased.
- Early return to work reduces legal costs. Employees are less likely to feel their rights have been violated causing them to engage a lawyer.
- Early return to work cost reductions will have a direct impact on a Worker’s Compensation premium rate.
Source: The University of Wisconsin
Workers in ERTW programs need close supervision and monitoring. Our Health and Wellness Rooms provide the perfect balance of supervision and education to help the injured worker focus on healing and safety awareness. They will be directed not to work outside of their restrictions, and fellow workers must know not to ask them to do so. Proof:Positive can help you achieve your goals of returning an injured worker safely and effectively back to work
If you would like to know how Proof:Positive can help you return your employees to work earlier, please contact us.
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