706 – MODIFIED DUTY
It is the policy of the Company to assist employees who have sustained a compensable on-the-job injury in returning to work as soon as possible. Our light/modified duty program is designed to provide these employees, who are currently unable to perform their regular job duties, with temporary work during the period of medical recovery.
Employees eligible to participate in this program are those employees with an accepted workers’ compensation claim. The injured employee will be paid at their regular hourly wage and average number of hours at the time of injury.
The Safety Manager will coordinate the employee's participation in the light/modified duty program with the Supervisor, physician, employee and insurance carrier.
Modified duty is treated as a regular job assignment. The Company reserves the right to terminate any employee’s modified duty assignment at any time for violations of Company policy, including, but not limited to, attendance, reporting to work on time, not following call-in procedures, etc.
Procedures. The Safety Manager oversees the return to work program and the DPI Supervisor is the main point of contact for their light duty worker(s). It is the DPI Supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the light duty worker has completed their paperwork/training requirements, etc. as well as any other light duty projects that may be assigned during this time frame.
The goal of the return to work program is to better educate our injured workers on workplace safety, as well as create work opportunities and projects for them that will assist other departments throughout the Company with small tasks that can be completed within the restrictions listed on the injured worker’s modified job description.
Before an injured worker starts any light duty assignment for the Company, the Safety Manager and the employee’s DPI Supervisor will meet to discuss the workers limitations, skills, and capabilities. They will collectively try to get the worker into a job or function that will directly benefit the Company.
Light duty work is to be treated as a regular job assignment. All Company policies and procedures need to be followed during the light duty assignment. Workers will be subject to disciplinary action for violations such as attendance, reporting to work on time, not following call-in procedures, etc.
During each step in the above program the DPI Supervisor is to touch base with the injured worker each morning and make sure they have the task(s) for the day lined out. The Supervisor is to touch base with the worker at least two more times during the day to ensure that they are staying on task.
All time sheets and medical updates for light duty workers need to go to the Safety Manager and if a light duty worker is absent for any reason that must be noted on the time sheet. Generally, workers’ compensation companies do not pay time loss for appointments and they must be noted in the system and on the time sheet.
The above return to work program is a general program and all education and project assignments can vary based on the injured worker’s medical restrictions and capabilities.
@2021 The DPI Group. Revision Dates: 02/10/2021 - The policies do not form a contract, express or implied, nor do they guarantee employment for any specific length of time. Employment with The DPI Group or any subsidiary is at-will. This means that either the employee or employer can terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason. No statements made by any supervisor or manager can alter this at-will relationship. The at-will relationship can only be changed through a signed written agreement that specifically sets forth the terms between the employee and the President/Chief Executive Officer of the Company.