Effective injury management relies on the co-operation of all involved, particularly the employer, injured worker and treating medical practitioner. When everyone understands their responsibilities, active and full participation in the injury management process is much easier to achieve.
Injury management plans and return to work plans co-ordinate and manage the treatment, rehabilitation and return to work of an injured worker.
Where a worker suffers an injury that results in a total or partial incapacity for more than 5 working days, the employer must prepare a return to work and/or injury management plan in accordance with the requirements set out in the employer’s injury management program.
Everyone, including the injured worker, should be involved in developing these plans.
Focus on the individual
Effective injury management is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. It requires workplaces to be creative and flexible so they can handle unpredictability and meet the specific needs of injured workers.
The individual circumstances of the injured worker must be considered to ensure the injury management process is appropriate to them and their recovery, and that they are not simply being ‘put through the motions’.
Consider what the worker can do
Depending on the degree of injury, and in order to keep the injury management process moving for ward, it may be necessary to recognise that in some cases the injured worker cannot return to their pre-injury capacity.
However, whatever the injured worker’s circumstance, it is important that goals are set for the injury management processes, and that positive attitudes are fostered by ensuring that the employer and injured worker focus on what they can do as opposed to what they can’t do.
Working together to achieve these goals will greatly improve an injured worker’s motivation as they not only know and understand where they are heading, but also that the challenges which lie ahead are realistic and achievable.
Look at the big picture
It’s also important to recognise that an injured worker’s recovery can be affected by psychological and social factors. For example, there may be underlying issues at the workplace (such as conflict with a co-worker) or at home (such as financial difficulties) that can cause a relatively minor injury to spiral out of control and result in a more serious secondary illness, such as stress or depression.
Addressing these factors as well as under taking physical/medical treatments will ensure a better recovery.