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21st March 2002, Page 34
21st March 2002
Page 34
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Drivers are susceptible to a host of work-related ailments—and when your staff are off sick, your trucks don't roll. But, as tevekmi reports, with clever planning an operator can have rehabilitation experts in place to get drivers back behind the wheel as fast as possible.

Astrained back can result in an employee being on sick leave for weeks. So can a wrenched shoulder, a twisted knee and many of the other injuries that frequently afflict workers in the transport industry. In a perfect world, the employer would leave the National Health Service to sort out the problem. If he does that, however, both he and his employee are likely to have a long wait—and if the injured worker happens to be a driver, then his truck could remain in the yard for the duration, given the national shortage.

"The NHS provides a fantastic accident and emergency service but it's not so good at providing the follow-up outpatient support that people sometimes need," says Graham Gibson, commercial insurances claim centres manager at insurer Groupama.

Makes sense

With that in mind, a growing number of firms are conduding that it may make sense to pay for the individual concerned to go and see a physiotherapist, say, or a chiropractor to sort out the problem. That way he's likely to get back to work more quickly.

If the injury has triggered a claim against the company's employer's liability insurance, there's every possibility that the insurers will fork out for the treatment because it's to their

advantage. The quicker the worker can be returned to work and full fitness then the smaller the claim is likely to be.

However, it is important for this rehabilitation process to be managed by a specialist who can advise on the best course of action. The vast majority of transport companies don't have in-house occupational health departments, but it is always possible to bring in an independent adviser.

"What typically happens is that an employee will be referred to us who has been to see his GP and has simply been told to stay off work and rest," says Andrew Hunter, general manager of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk-based Rehab Works. "As a consequence he's starting to become less and less fit and more and more demoralised."

RehabWorks will spend half-a-day using all sorts of equipment and exercises to measure the individual's strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness against what a fit adult of similar age and size should be able to achieve. The data gleaned will be used to determine a course of treatment.

"He might come to us once a week for back treatment, for example, supplemented by exercises at home," says Hunter.

He cites the example of a truck driver who had been off sick for five weeks because of back and leg pain who underwent a six-week course of this type. The pain ceased as a con sequence, didn't come back, and he was a to return to work full time. The progra cost L780.

It is vital for anybody with nagging trouble or an aching neck to seek h promptly, rather than simply hoping the will go away. Gibson adds: "If an ex doesn't get to see them within six mon the injury occurring then the benefits rehabilitation may start to diminish v quickly."

Increasingly insurers aren't waiting details of an injury to be provided by claimant's solicitors, but are taking the ini five and offering help immediately.

Nor is it only sore shoulders and cri necks that can be addressed, says bitts, technical claims manager at Allianz rrthill. If somebody has lost a limb, for mple, a programme can be implemented help them get used to using an artificial or leg.

Anything that comes under the heading of iopaedics can usually be looked at, unless injury is absolutely horrific," says Gibson. ot all employees are happy to co-operate h rehabilitation, especially if they're maka financial claim against their employer have enlisted the help of a hard-nosed sonal injury lawyer. They may fear that a use of treatment will result in a smaller ipensation cheque.

'Personal injury lawyers fall into two ups," says Gibson. "There are those who understand the value of rehabilitation, and those who reckon that it's a cynical attempt to reduce the amount of damages their client is entitled to."

But as Rabbitts remarks: "If you give most people the choice between having their health back again, and having a sum of money, the majority will choose the former."

Even if the injured employee cannot go back to his own job immediately, there may be other less physically demanding tasks that he can take on without impeding his recovery, says Dr Raymond Drury of Camberley, Surrey-based occupational health specialists CareNet. Driving might be out of the question, but he might be able to work in the traffic office two or three days a week while receiving treatment on other days. "A phased return to work can help the recovery process," he points out.

It may be the case that chronic back ache has been caused not by an injury, but by the daily tasks the worker has to undertake; sitting behind the wheel for hours on end in a badly designed

Anything that comes under seat that hasn't the heading orthopaedics been adjusted can usually be leaked at. properly, for

instance.

Hunter points out that if that's the case the pain will come back unless the root cause is eliminated: "We know of at least one instance where we've had to advise a company to change the make of van they operate because its driving position was resulting in employees having to take time off work."

If rehabilitation can help control liability claims it's going to have a direct impact on controlling increases in an employer's liability insurance premiums.

"At present there's every chance that we'll see rises of as much as 5o% because of the way in which claims costs are escalating," says Chris North, marketing executive at RHA Insurance Services. "And never forget that employer's liability cover is compulsory."


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