When physical labor is involved, a worker’s chance of injury is very high. If an injury occurs, you will lose a valuable employee and be responsible for a workers’ compensation claim. The law provides for several weeks of salary to the employee and lifetime medical treatment for those injured on the job.
A fitness for duty examination can help you cut costs by reducing workers’ compensation costs as well as keeping your employees safe on the job. Although not many companies use this method, it is one of the best incentives to get injured workers back to their jobs quickly and with no safety risks.
If we talk about fit for duty exam, then there are several types of exams like
Exam for job performance
Whenever you are concerned about whether an employee will be able to perform the job’s essential functions effectively, you conduct a job analysis.
Return to Work Exam
It is conducted when If you suspect employees are not physically fit to return to work after an injury, even if their doctors report them as fit, it is recommended you perform this test.
Post-offer physical examinations (pre-placement exams)
A physical abilities examination, a drug test, a musculoskeletal evaluation, and medical surveillance are all part of these examinations.
Know when the Fit for Duty examination is conducted
A company may conduct this test if one of its injured employees’ conditions:
• Put their own safety or the safety of others at risk.
Fit for Duty exams may be conducted following the American Disabilities Act in the following scenarios:
• Based on need. When an employee complains that they are unable to perform essential work tasks.
• A worker who cannot resume work due to a disability.
As part of the company policy, a regular checkup is performed to determine the fitness levels of employees.
• Testing by employees at an event sponsored by their employer.
Benefits of Fit for Duty Exams
Recovering injured workers as quickly as possible
To minimize the chances of further injuries, injured workers can take exams. The tests ensure that workers are healthy and fit to return to their usual/customary or modified/alternative positions as soon as possible. They are less likely to re-injure themselves. The doctor’s advice ensures that temporary restrictions can be put in place, and injured workers are able to return to work promptly, under their own steam.
Ensure that workers do not suffer injuries while at work
Each year, thousands of workers are injured on the job. In these situations, they can file a workers’ compensation claim against the company to receive financial assistance. In order to ensure that this never happens, you may use your industrial clinic to conduct fit for duty testing to ensure that workers are capable of performing arduous tasks.
For situations where you are uncertain whether someone will be able to successfully perform a task, request that they undergo a medical exam and physical to make sure they are physically and medically fit. You can also have one or more workers pre-assigned to check the fitness of other workers, as well as the work environment itself.
Analyzes and find the cause and extent of the problem
An essential benefit of taking Fitness for Duty exams is their ability to help you understand
An injured worker’s story can provide valuable insight into the nature and severity of the injury. When you compare post-injury data with that worker’s pre-injury data, you may be able to determine whether that worker is malingering to void return to full duty or temporary modified/alternate duty. Furthermore, you will be able to understand the cause and severity of the injury and the necessary treatment.
In order to protect your company’s interests, one of the best things you can do is to have a Fit for Duty Exam. If you want to reduce your Workers’ Comp exposure and save your business money then contact PCP works.
