Over the past number of years there has been an increasing acknowledgement of the impact of disabilities on the workplace. Escalating disability costs for employers, workers and society in general, falling employment participation and hiring rates of persons with disabilities, and increasing obligations for the reintegration of injured and disabled workers has led many workplaces to examine their disability management and return to work policies.
In order to address these significant financial, social and personal problems many organizations around the world have instituted “disability management” processes and procedures. They addresses issues related to health promotion, accident prevention and safety, case management, return to work procedures, transitional work options and workplace accommodation.
Research has shown that for these programs to be most effective they must function within an integrated framework of services. Legislated mandates, formalized policies and procedures, regulations, and tracking data should guide the administration of these services. An effective program considers both injury and illness prevention through its wellness and accident prevention programs as well as providing the injured/ill worker a process to return to work in a safe and timely manner.
The Disability Management Self Assessment (DMSA) tool, is designed to allow individual organizations to undertake a self assessment of their current return to work disability management efforts.
The DMSA tool was created through operational testing of the DMSA within a cross-section of workplaces across Canada and Internationally and consists of key questions from the Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA). PSHSA has partnered with NIDMAR to provide this self assessment tool for our clients.
Complete the DMSA: Click Here
If you are interested in having a more detailed assessment of your Disability Management program, PSHSA staff are licensed to complete the full CBDMA™ or a shorter one day Workplace Disability Management Assessment (WDMA TM ). For more information contact Henrietta Van hulle at hvanhulle@pshsa.ca
