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November / December 2006

Ensure the long-term success of the ergonomics program and injury prevention effort.
Ensure successful and permanent implementation of corrective recommendations identified by the company including:
- a. Purchase or modifications of equipment
- b. Training of personnel
- c. Adherence to ergonomic work methods
- d. Enforcement of safe work practices and stretching programs
- e. Oversight of the modified duty program
Ensure continued identification and correction of workplace hazards that lead to injuries. This can be achieved through:
- a. Regular inspection of workplace and working employees
- b. Regular analysis of injury trends in the workplace.
- c. Open communication between workers and the organization with regard to injury prevention.

The Ergonomics Team should be made up of mostly production workers with representatives from supervisors, top management, safety and health staff, engineering and/or maintenance. The production workers chosen for the team should be those who are willing and able to effectively communicate with co-workers in a non-threatening manner.

The Ergonomics Team should receive detailed training in ergonomics, job analysis to identify risk factors for employee injury, the 5 E’s of injury elimination, modified duty programs, and ways to effectively deal with injured workers.

If you’d like to learn more about training and establishing an Ergonomic Team, please contact CISonsite at (866) 298-1312 or jpanozzo@cisonsite.com.

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Avoid Disability Discrimination When Hiring New Employees

The Americans with Disabilities Act has very strict rules about what you can and cannot do during the hiring process.

Of all the anti-discrimination laws, none confuses employers more than the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), especially when it comes to hiring. Employers want to make sure that the person they hire can actually perform the job, but often aren't sure how to explore this issue without somehow violating the law.

If you remember one simple rule, you'll be in good shape: You can ask people about their abilities, but you can't ask about their disabilities. This means that you can ask how an applicant plans to perform each function of the job, but you can not ask whether the applicant has any disabilities that will prevent him or her from performing each function of the job.

One way to ensure that you stay within the rules is to attach a Detailed Job Description to the application or describe the job duties to the applicant during the job interview. (For more information on ADA compliant Functional Job Descriptions, visit http://cisonsite.com/prevention.htm#). Then, ask how the applicant plans to perform the job. This approach gives applicants an opportunity to talk about their qualifications and strengths. It also allows them to let you know whether they might need reasonable accommodations to do the job.

If you still feel a little lost about which questions are legal and which aren't, here is a list of job interview questions that you CAN and CAN’T ask under the ADA/EEOC:

You should NEVER ASK the following questions in a job interview:

Have you ever had or been treated for any of the following conditions or diseases? (Followed by a checklist of various diseases or conditions.)
List any conditions or diseases for which you have been treated in the past three years.
Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, for what condition?
Have you ever been treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist? If so, for what?
Have you ever been treated for any mental condition?
Do you suffer from any health-related condition that might prevent you from performing this job?
Have you had any major illnesses in the past five years?
How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year? (You may, however, tell the applicant what your attendance requirements are and then ask whether he or she will be able to meet those requirements.)
Do you have any physical defects that preclude you from doing certain types of things?
Do you have any disabilities or impairments that might affect your ability to do the job?
Are you taking any prescribed drugs?
Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?
Have you ever filed a worker's compensation claim?

You MAY ask the following questions in a job interview:

Can you perform all of the job functions?
How would you perform the job functions? (If you want to ask any applicant this question, you should ask all applicants this question.)
Can you meet my attendance requirements?
What are your professional certifications and licenses?
Do you currently use illegal drugs?

For a comprehensive guide to hiring and the ADA, refer to the website of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at www.eeoc.gov

Source: www.smallbusiness.findlaw.com

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Think Safe! Functional Job Descriptions Can Help in Injury Prevention

What?! How can a job description prevent an injury? The answer is “By helping to better match the worker to the job”.

A detailed, Functional Job Description outlines the essential physical demands of the job, such as: the amount of weight that needs to be lifted, the positions of the body during work, and the frequency of these physical tasks. By supplying job candidates with this detailed information, they have a much better understanding of the job. They can decide if they have the ability, or desire, to meet the physical demands of the job. In some cases, candidates will withdraw their applications if they feel they can’t, or don’t want to, fulfill these demands.

This case is a win-win situation for the candidate and the employer. This candidate won’t get hurt on the job because he pushed himself beyond his physical abilities. He also didn’t take a job that he would be unhappy in. Conversely, the employer doesn’t have to pay for this employee’s potential injuries and doesn’t have to spend the time and money needed to hire a replacement worker for this candidate who may have gotten injured or quit.

An ADA compliant Functional Job Description can also help in hiring those with disabilities by identifying job tasks for accommodation. It’s also a very useful tool in developing Return-to-Work programs as well as Post-Offer screens.

For more information on ADA compliant Functional Job Descriptions, visit cisonsite.com/prevention.htm.

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Our programs assist employers in reducing their OSHA recordables and Worker’s Compensation claims, cost and injuries. We offer a variety of customized programs to fit each employer’s unique needs.

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Our mobile therapists come directly to your facility, by treating the worker onsite. the therapist can directly observe the physical demands of the worker’s job and design a treatment program that specifically addresses these demands.

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Our case managers work with employers and insurance companies to proactively manage the care of an injured worker through the entire case management process from injury to return to gainful employment.

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