Return to Work

The National Safety Council has launched SAFER: Safe Actions for Employee Returns, a comprehensive, multifaceted initiative aimed at developing industry- and risk-specific recommendations and resources for all U.S. employers.

Atlanta — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidelines intended to help businesses, as well as schools and mass transit operations, safely reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Itasca, IL — Safely returning people to work during the COVID-19 pandemic requires more than a single, one-dimensional strategy, NIOSH Director John Howard says.

Minneapolis — The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has published a template, instructions and checklist guidelines for a COVID-19 preparedness plan – a requirement for nonessential businesses that intend to reopen during the pandemic.

Austin, TX — The percentage of injured workers who returned to work within six months of an injury steadily rose about 5 points in Texas during a recent 11-year period, according to a recent report from the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Manchester, England — Walking speed is the strongest predictor of a stoke victim’s ability to return to work, with about 3 feet per second the “critical threshold,” say researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Norwich, England — A positive attitude and supportive co-workers are among the most important factors for a successful return to work for an employee who has been on leave for an injury or illness, according to researchers from the University of East Anglia and Uppsala University.

The Centers of Occupational Health and Education program – part of the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries – is designed to get injured workers back on the job while curbing long-term disability rates.

Cambridge, MA — A Workers Compensation Research Institute study of workers with low-back injuries shows those who receive longer-term prescriptions for opioid painkillers take significantly longer to return to work than those who are not prescribed opioids.