A workplace rehab provider can help to manage risks that may impact on a workers’ recovery in the workplace. Factors that can impact on recovery after an injury or issue can include issues with finding suitable work tasks or managing injuries or communications. A workplace rehab provider will send a consultant to help out the employee and their doctor, insurers or employer to facilitate a proper recovery in the workplace.
The rehabilitation consultant sent by the rehab provider is most often a professional from the heath sector, such as a qualified occupational therapist, counsellor, physiotherapist or physiologist.
Why is it important to recover in the workplace?
Studies have shown that it is more difficult to return to work after a long time way, that maintaining activity after an injury can help to minimise symptoms of pain and can help workers to get back to their normal activities sooner and that helping people to stay active is a crucial part of recovery. A rehab provider can help to facilitate this process.
What services do they provide?
A rehab provider can perform assessments of the workplace or provide ongoing services and support to make sure that a proper recovery is achieved in the workplace. A workplace rehab provider will generally work with a number of different parties to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved. They may look at educating staff about the benefits of working and ways to manage injuries in the workplace, they may perform assessments of the workplace to work out ways that a worker can safely perform work, they may find opportunities to reduce or modify workload and can suggest or provide equipment to make performing work tasks possible. A rehab provider may also assess what kinds of barriers are in place that could impact upon recovery. They may also be able to help workers to achieve certain goals.
In some workplaces a rehab provider is necessary to ensure that a worker can safely return to work. For most employee’s the aim is to recover to pre-injury levels, but for some that isn’t possible and a rehabilitation consultant may be tasked with coming up with more permanent solution. This can involve looking at the worker’s skills to assess what their options are in the workplace, assisting with training, upskilling or finding work options. They may also help people to find new jobs or take advantage of funding schemes.
How to engage one
It’s usually up to the employer or an insurer to decide if a rehabilitation consultant is required, although the worker should agree and be given the chance to have input into who their provider will be. Insurers are usually responsible for managing the cost of the service Once the insurer has engaged a rehabilitation consultant they will usually make contact with the worker and employer to arrange meeting times. There may be some questions you should ask your consultant like;
- When will I be contacted?
- How can I communicate with you?
- What services will be provided?
- How can my employer assist with my recovery?
- How long will it take for goals to be met?
The consultant may also need information regarding the worker’s role before their injury and what work options there are.
That is basically what the role of a rehabilitation consultant service is all about. Facilitating positive work recovery can significantly help recovery so it’s very important and both workers and employers should do their best to assist in the process to ensure good recovery process is made. A consultant can also advise on other resources available.
