Injury management refers to the process of managing an employee's injury. Injury management plans are designed to encourage fast recovery and timely return to work. This excerpt discusses injury management plans.
Who prepares the injury management plan?
The injury management coordinator is responsible for preparing the injury management plan. However, the process must be collaborative. As such, the injured employee, doctor, insurer and employer must be involved in formulating the plan. Small businesses may not have an injury management coordinator. In such cases, the owner or human resource manager prepares the plan.
Preparing an injury management plan.
The injury management plan contains the name of the employee, his or her responsibility at the workplace and the nature of the injury. The plan has three sections:
a). Treatment.
The treatment plan is filled out by the doctor. It may include details such as current medical treatment, the results of diagnostic tests, prescribed drugs and work restrictions. The doctor may recommend physiotherapy and counselling sessions to promote fast recovery. He or she also provides details of check-ups and when the employee should return to work. For severe injuries, the doctor might recommend a new job or reduced working hours.
b). Rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation plan evaluates the employee's ability to return to his or her previous position. If the employee acquired severe injuries, vocational and disability counselling are considered. The employee can also obtain training for an alternative job if he or she cannot perform his or her previous responsibilities at the workplace.
c). Return to work.
The return to work plan ensures that the employee is comfortable at the workplace. It details the employee's performance and his or her ability to adapt to changing work conditions. In the initial stages, the employee may have to work for reduced hours until he or she recovers.
The benefits of an injury management plan.
The primary benefit of an injury management plan is that it facilitates quick recovery. Other advantages include:
- Improved employee and employer relations.
- The collaborative nature of the injury management plan ensures fair treatment of injured employees.
- The plan keeps the injured employee in touch with the workplace as he or she recovers.
- An effective injury management plan ensures employee retention; thus, the employer avoids the costs of training new employees.
The plan must be employee focused. Therefore, the employer should offer support to the injured employee even if he or she can no longer return to work.
Injury management plans are effective in ensuring the fast recovery of injured employees. The plan includes treatment, rehabilitation and return to work strategies.
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