Return to Work
Preventing workplace injuries and illness is the responsibility of everyone at the workplace. When injuries and illness do occur, however, it is important for you and your injured worker to minimize the human and financial impacts by focusing on getting the worker back to safe and productive work as soon as medically possible.
Benefits of Early and Safe Return to Work
Most injured workers can return to some type of work even while they are still recovering. Returning to daily work and life activities can actually help in the recovery process. In fact, worldwide research shows that the longer a worker is off work due to injury or illness, the less likelihood there is of that person returning to work.
Both you and your injured workers benefit in cooperating in the injured worker's early and safe return to work. The injured worker benefits by restoring their source of income and staying active and productive, both of which are important to the healing/recovery process. You benefit by retaining valuable and knowledgeable people who contribute to your company's financial and market success.
Shared Responsibility for Return to Work
There are many participants in the Return to Work process, and each have a different role and responsibility.
In Ontario, returning an injured worker to work is a shared responsibility primarily between the employer and the worker. The WSIB is responsible for managing the claim and monitoring, providing education and assistance to the worker and employer, and to the workplace. Health care providers are responsible for providing timely health or medical and functional abilities information. Together, all parties working toward a shared goal of early and safe return to work and full productivity has the potential to reduce the human and economic impact of workplace injuries and illness. Where there are shared responsibilities, communication and cooperation toward a common goal is essential.
You, your injured workers and the WSIB all have certain legal obligations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act that support a safe and early return to work.
This section will explain those responsibilities, and what you can expect from the WSIB.
What are my responsibilities?
What are my worker's responsibilities?
What are the WSIB's responsibilities?
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Download the Return to Work Self-Assessment Guide for Ontario workplaces (411k, pdf).
Return to Work Plans
Learn about Return to Work plans and see samples.
Functional Abilities Form
The Functional Abilities Form (FAF) for Planning Early and Safe Return to Work (370k, pdf) is a tool that provides you and the injured worker with a common frame of reference about the worker's physical condition. Find out more about the Functional Abilities Form and when to use it.
Physical Demands Information Form (PDIF)
Use the Physical Demands Information Form to gather and document specific information about the physical demands of jobs.
The PDIF helps you identify potential risk factors for injuries in a job, and may also help you modify the job to reduce risk factors and/or accommodate an injured worker's restrictions so they can return to work.
Learn about Labour Market Re-entry.
Resources- The Canadian Abilities Foundation (CAF) provides links to a multitude of disability resources to help employers accommodate injured workers and help injured workers and their families cope with disability. Find help from CAF's Web site, Enablelink.
- The Canadian Helen Keller Centre is a resource for persons who are deaf-blind, their families, service providers, volunteers, supporters, and the general public about the needs, concerns and challenges of persons living with both vision and hearing loss.
- http://www.ihpm.org/
A resource for information and data related to better managing workplace health and productivity.
- Guide and Tools for Modified Work (available for purchase)
Developed by the Montreal Department of Public Health
The guide describes an approach to planning and setting up a modified work program for workers with certain musculoskeletal disorders. It is intended for mid- to large-sized companies and can also be useful to trainers and other professionals who work with companies on injury management and return to work programs.
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