Focus on the fact that throughout the history of workers’ compensation the bottom line is the company needs its employees to get its work done.
Therefore, the top goal of any injury management policy must be getting your employees back to work – ideally in their original state of health. Coordinating organized systems to reach that goal will save your company money – but the focus should always be on preventing and carefully managing injuries – not on saving a buck.
This focus will, however, save a buck! First, adopt a corporate-wide injury management transitional duty policy describing how transitional duty will be implemented at your workplace. This policy should include:
1. The length of transitional duty assignments.
2. The circumstances under which employees will perform transitional duty.
3. The types of transitional duty offered.
4. The circumstances under which employees will be returned to regular work. Next, develop a job or task bank by identifying jobs or tasks for use in your injury management transitional duty program. Tasks or jobs will accommodate the injuries of employees out of work due to a work-related injury.
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D. Sign up for the online newsletter at www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com to become familiar with workers’ compensation issues. Click on these links to try it for yourself.
WC Calculator www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/calculator.php TD Calculator www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php WC 101 www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/workers_comp.php
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.
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