After reviewing the agency’s quarterly Workers Compensation reports from the past two years, an alarming pattern regarding carpal tunnel claims among employees was discovered. In the past two years the amount of employees with carpal tunnel claims has more than tripled. The majority of the work being done within this agency takes place in front of a computer. With the constant typing and repetitive computer work, our employees are at a higher risk for carpal tunnel. This report presents information describing the difficulties that departments are facing when employees are away from work due to workers compensation claims, along with alternative solutions and recommendations based on my research. Significance of the Problem: Increase …show more content…
This will be the first hit we will feel in our budget. The next hit will come from loss of productivity and stability in departments. While the employee is out due to a workers compensation case, the department is left short-handed. • Employees can remain on total disability for as long as disability continues and can remain on partial disability for a maximum of 6 years. (Levine 13) This can leave the department scrambling to redistribute the work, causing an increase in overtime pay and/or scrambling to find qualified workers through temp-agencies. • An injured employee has the right to be reinstated to his former position if the job remains available when he is ready to return to work. The position is considered available even if it was filled by a temporary worker while he was out of work. (Levine 16) Departments can’t simply replace the injured employee, but instead the position remains in limbo until the return of the employee. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can’t be completely prevented but there are steps that can help lessen the odds of occurrence. Following are a couple of ways that employers can assist employees in the effort to prevent carpal tunnel