CWRS Consultants conduct workplace assessments for employers and insurers in Maroochydore, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, north to Gympie, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Cairns.
A workplace assessment consists of the observation and evaluation of an employee’s core job requirements including physical, cognitive, ergonomic and psychosocial factors. A workplace assessment is recommended prior to establishing a return to work program to ensure that the employee’s suitable duties are safe and appropriate (and therefore will not aggravate an injury).
Alternatively, a workplace assessment can be conducted when an injured worker has already returned to work but is experiencing difficulty coping with the duties or has plateaued in their recovery and is unable to progress their hours and duties.
Return to Work Facilitation
In some instances, workers do not progress well in their injury recovery and upgrade of duties within the workplace. An Occupational Therapist can be successful in progressing a workers functional recovery by identifying current barriers (physical or pain related) at the work site and providing solutions to overcome these barriers.
Solutions may include the following:
- Education in relation to injury management and hurt vs harm
- How to avoid aggravating postures in the workplace
- Teaching the injured worker the importance of pacing and task planning
- Appropriate stretches in the recovery from injury
- Recommendation for assistive equipment
- Identification of treatment needs to aide in further recovery
Suitable Duties Programs
CWRS Consultants develop suitable duties programs and return to work programs for either employers or insurers (WorkCover, Workers Compensation self-insurers, life insurers and CTP insurers). The service is offered in Maroochydore, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, north to Gympie, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Cairns
A suitable duties program (return to work program) can be developed to formalise an injured worker’s safe and durable return to gainful employment following injury, through a supervised process at the workplace.
The Consultants will initially conduct a workplace assessment to individually tailor the suitable duties program to reflect the workers current injury restrictions. The OT will then formulate appropriate work upgrades that will meet the needs of both the employer and the injured worker.
Suitable duties form the basis for a work conditioning program, using the workplace as a means to progress the workers fitness and work endurance, while their injuries heal. Suitable duties (also known as light or alternative duties) are meaningful job tasks selected from the injured worker’s usual job or another role.
A suitable duties program will highlight the following:
- Duties that are physically appropriate based on the workers condition or injury
- Weekly progression in hours and duties
- Specific restrictions that will be gradually upgraded week by week
- Additional weekly recommendations for injury management
- Signatures by all parties to acknowledge and implement the program (worker, employer, GP and CWRS Consultant).