Restricted duties
Gerta
7 Posts
Hello:
We have a facilities employee who hurt his knee. His Dr. is out of town. He doesn't want to see anyone but his Dr. Do I have the right to restrict his duties until he sees a Dr? What if it takes a long time (a month...) to get in to his Dr.? Do I have a right to make him get an exam? How will this impact his claim? For example, if I restrict his duties and it takes weeks for him to be seen will workers comp cover the lost time? This employee has made several claims. The claims range from one that took years to settle to minor incidents like swallowing an olive pit. He has a history of refusing treatment. I'm new to HR in Vermont and haven't done any HR for years.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The director of the organization is out of town so I have no guidance!
Thank you.
We have a facilities employee who hurt his knee. His Dr. is out of town. He doesn't want to see anyone but his Dr. Do I have the right to restrict his duties until he sees a Dr? What if it takes a long time (a month...) to get in to his Dr.? Do I have a right to make him get an exam? How will this impact his claim? For example, if I restrict his duties and it takes weeks for him to be seen will workers comp cover the lost time? This employee has made several claims. The claims range from one that took years to settle to minor incidents like swallowing an olive pit. He has a history of refusing treatment. I'm new to HR in Vermont and haven't done any HR for years.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The director of the organization is out of town so I have no guidance!
Thank you.
Comments
I just read the thread. Any follow-up on the situation? Thanks.
Thanks!
When I was in NC, I closely worked with Concentra (I think the largest provider of Occupational Health nationally) and would send an injured employee straight to them. They provided treatment, including PT, if needed right on the site. The good part was that they would fax me all updates on the visit the day of the employee's visit to the office so I knew, often before the employee is back to work on the same day, when the next visit is scheduled, etc. Often, I could call the physician directly and speak about the case. They would work 100% with the employer to prevent abuse and monitor the situation. I am not sure if you can find a Concentra office in your area: you may want to check with your WC provider. At least, you can ask the WC Provider to establish a relationship with the same office so that you are ready when somebody like this guy files another claim.
In MI, the employer can send the injured employee to the employer's physician in the first 10 days. After that, the employee may choose his/her own physician. I am not sure what the rule in VT is. You may also use a local business or HR association to ask those questions. I know it helped me a lot in NC.
Another good practice is to conduct a thorough, documented, investigation within 24 hours. The team should involve the employee, the supervisor, HR, and a witness (hopefully).
When employees know that the injury will be followed-up, the abusors tend to reduce their appetite... Also important is that all employees know that they must immediately report an injury to their supervisor.
I also used to go over recent injuries in the employee meetings and without calling names, would go over the injuries, body parts affected, and recommendations that the investigation committee made.
Well, you may know all this already. Good luck!
Susan
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman