Work Accomodations

The term accommodation means the modification of a job, task, equipment or schedule to assist an injured worker in returning to work. Accommodation may include, but is not limited to:

Modified Work - modifications to a worker's pre-injury job that enables a worker to safely resume work. This may include modification to the job, task, function, hours of work, frequency of breaks, worksite, or any combination of these. Graduated return to work, when the worker temporarily works limited hours or limited duties as part of a plan leading to full employment, is included in modified work. Modified work can be temporary or permanent in nature.

Alternate Work - work that is different from the employee's pre-injury job or illness offered to a worker who is temporarily or permanently unable to perform their pre-injury work.  Worker safety must be a priority. When providing any new job duties or tasks ensure the worker has appropriate job training, orientation, and understands all hazards and controls.

Restrictions - physical or psychological limitations resulting from a worker's injury or illness. These can apply to work and activities of daily living. Restrictions may be considered temporary when recovery and rehabilitation is progressing towards full recovery or permanent where no further recovery is expected.

Reduced Hours – adjustment of the work hours to allow the injured worker to return to work while progressively building strength and tolerance.  Reduced hours also allow the worker time to attend scheduled rehabilitation appointments.  Examples of reduced hours may include:  Week one – 2 hours of work /day; week two – 4 hours of work/day; week three – 6 hours of work/day; and week four – 8 hours of work/day (worker may be back to full hours but may still be on modified or light duties). 

Transitional Work - most accommodations are considered transitional work which is any group of tasks or specific jobs that are not intended to be the end result of the return to work process. The worker is expected to eventually be capable of returning to full pre-injury duties.

Return to Work Process - a structured set of steps to follow in determining what type of accommodation is needed. The steps are as follows:

1. Determine if the employee can perform his or her existing job;
2. If the employee cannot perform his or her existing job, determine if he or she can perform his or her job in a modified form.
3. If the employee cannot perform his or her job in a modified form, determine if he or she can perform an alternate job in its existing form;
4. If the employee cannot perform alternate job in its existing form determine if he or she can perform an alternate job in a modified form. 

When moving through the return to work process, efforts should be made to maximize the injured, ill or disabled employee's knowledge, qualifications and abilities while respecting their outlined restrictions. This means that when looking at alternate and modified jobs, begin with the department in which the employee currently works then expand to other departments within the same division before looking at alternate jobs in other divisions.

What are Functional Abilities? – Functional abilities are a worker’s physical and psychological capabilities. This uses the worker’s medical limitations and restrictions (which can be found on the Occupational Health Assessment Form) to determine what type of work they are capable of during their return to work.

IDENTIFYING SUITABLE WORK

After an injury or illness occurs, promptly act to identify suitable work.  When identifying suitable work and developing the return to work plan, consider the following:

• Demands of the job – see job description;
• Worker’s functional abilities (identified on the Occupational Health Assessment Form) and prognosis for recovery;
• Worker’s skills, abilities, education; and
• Goals and timelines.

To identify suitable work, follow the steps below:

At each step, look at the job demands and compare to the worker’s functional abilities. Identify the barriers that prevent a return to work and determine if you can implement modifications to overcome the barrier.  Whenever possible try to identify duties that maintain the injured worker’s connection to their usual work areas.

WHAT IS SUITABLE WORK?

Suitable work must be work that:

• Is within your worker’s functional abilities;
• Is safe and does not put the worker or co-workers at risk nor hinder recovery;
• Is meaningful and promotes healthy recovery. It serves a purpose or valuable function to the organization; and
• Is equal to pre-injury earnings, where possible.

Some considerations when assessing suitable work:

• Does your worker have the education and skills to safely complete the work?
• Is your worker trained? Can you train your worker to do the suitable work?
• Is your worker on medications that may impair their ability to safely perform the suitable work?
• Can your worker safely access the site location or facility?
• Does the work contribute to recovery?
• Does the work contribute to the goals of the Division?