Grappling With the RTW Paradox of Recessionary Times

What's the point of a return-to-work program when there might not be any work to return to?

By CYRIL TUOHY, managing editor of Risk & Insurance®

Employers can have the best return-to-work program in the world, but what if there's no longer any job for the injured worker to return to? Does the workers' comp claim stay open indefinitely? What impact does that have on the bottom line? What can you do if your company has been shrunk to a skeleton workforce or acquired by another company?

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Luckily, even when there's no job to return to, there's always Richard Pimentel, senior partner at Milt Wright & Associates, based in Granada Hills, Calif. This speaker, a fixture at the Annual National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo and a crowd favorite, will address this paradox, so common in recessionary times, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

In case attendees miss Pimentel on Wednesday, they can catch him again on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., on the impact the economy has had on a stressed-out workforce.

People concerned about losing their jobs, military veterans returning home and fears of the future may be causing more workplace accidents and injuries, and longer durations of workers' comp claims.

Pimentel, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a nationally recognized return-to-work expert, will give you unique solutions to address the emotional toll resulting from economic hardships.

With the economic downturn weighing so heavily on employers to use every method possible to control the frequency and severity of claims, many businesses are looking at new ways of injury prevention as the best strategy

Not only that, they're also looking to Dennis Downing, CEO of Future Industrial Technologies in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Jay Shelton, manager of GE InterPark in Chicago, to learn more about a nine-step formula to stop back injuries, carpal tunnel and other sprain/strain injuries.

Downing and Shelton are expected to speak on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the NWCDC about which employers are having the best results using the nine-step formula. Managers will also learn how to get employees to change their behavior--crucial to long-term culture change. You'll leave with new tactics that can be implemented right away to drastically reduce claims in your organization.

No National Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Conference® & Expo would be complete without Yolanda Romero, director of workers' compensation for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), in Philadelphia, or Katrina Zitnik, director of workers' compensation of Costco Wholesale of Issaquah, Wash..

They will speak on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the impact of the Great Recession on the workers' comp system

Pressures to reduce overall work hours as well as employees and supervisors taking on additional tasks can present unique, unexpected challenges to RTW programs--whether or not an organization is facing layoffs.

Romero and Zitnik, speakers paired specifically because they represent the private and public sectors, will solicit input in advance and lead attendees in a small-group discussion in search of solutions.

Tough times aside, regardless of whether there's an ergonomics standard in place to protect workers, it's clear the Obama administration is elevating the importance of workplace safety, so don't let more enforcement catch you and your company off guard.

After recently speaking with Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials, Cindy Roth, the CEO of Ergonomic Technologies Corp. in Syosset, N.Y., and a veteran safety and ergonomics expert, will show attendees what they must do to adhere to changes in OSHA regulation, reduce workplace injuries and accidents, and plan for the future.

She speaks on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

On the last day of the conference, Nov. 20, from 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Linda Yoxtheimer, assistant director for the SEPTA, will brief managers on how to build an effective return-to-work program using the right tools.

No one knows that better than Yoxtheimer, the architect of an award-winning program that serves as a model for companies throughout the country. She'll share her 19 years of experience and how she developed SEPTA's RTW plan from scratch.

From building the corporate philosophy to developing a job bank and creating program definitions, timelines and forms, she'll show you all the components you'll need for a full toolbox and how to turn it into a program that gets results.

October 15, 2009

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