Results

There is most likely a lack of management commitment to manage injuries properly.

This may be because managers perceive that managing injuries is not their responsibility or it may be due to a lack of support from senior management. Workers may feel as though they are a problem or burden to their employer and colleagues and this can lead to poorer return to work outcomes, a perception of bullying or harassment and generally higher claims costs.

It can seem that employers with this culture have fewer injuries than others but in fact what is occurring is that injuries are not being reported when they should be and this leads to significantly higher claims costs and time lost as claims are only lodged when they have got to a point where they are very serious.

Employers that tick mostly in the red zone tends to have much higher than average injury durations and a high percentage of “problem” claims.

Next steps

1. Make sure that you introduce a clear and simple policy for injury management based on the principals of early return to work, support and tolerance.
2. Clearly define everybody’s place in the injury management process. Train all managers and staff in the process and enforce functions through performance reviews.
3. Appoint and train a return to work coordinator. The return to work coordinator should be recruited from within the organisation and have a good understanding of the business and people.
4. Once this person is appointed give them the time and resources to carry out their functions properly. A return to work coordinator should have the authority of senior management to make decisions on return to work and should not need to ask permission to fulfil the role.
5. Make sure that all managers are responsible and accountable for injured workers in their direct sphere. Managers should be involved in all return to work negotiations and decisions (under the guidance of the return to work coordinator).

Results

You probably do not have an effective consultation system. Consultation forms a part of any organisation’s legal obligations but more than this it helps you to engage and understand your workforce. Workers that are involved in decision making and feel part of the business are less likely to have injuries and more likely to want to return to work if they do have an injury.

Employers who do not have any consultative mechanism run the risk of having a disengaged workforce. This can lead to a greater level of injury and absence and higher costs for claims as workers may feel suspicious of the employer’s motives.

Included in the concept of consultation is transparency of actions. Workers and managers should always work together as part of your injury management process and each party should be aware of what the other is doing and why they are doing it. This engenders a level of trust and will result in less time lost and more successful long term return to duties.

Next steps

1. Make sure that you introduce a clear and simple consultation procedure based on the principals of transparency and inclusion. Make sure the procedure details the mechanisms of your consultation (i.e. when and how you will consult) as well as the way staff can engage the business (e.g. feedback mechanisms, issues register, suggestion box etc).
2. Ensure that staff are consulted in the development and implementation of any injury management process and that an affected worker is always included in any return to work discussions or decisions.
3. Provide a way for employees to express their views on a regular basis (e.g. team meetings, suggestion box) and then ensure that suggestions are read and considered and staff who provide the feedback are made aware of what has happened to their suggestions.

Results

You are aware that training is an important part of business and you have the foundation of a training system in place. There may be some gaps in the record keeping in the system or it may be that once training is performed it is not systematically updated to ensure its currency and relevance to the business. Induction may be incomplete or inadequate with respect to injury management.

Next steps

1. Make sure your training records are kept up to date and regularly review your training needs to ensure currency. You can use the same system to diarise updates and reviews as necessary. It is simple to cover all of the training and update requirements in a single document or system. You may build a spreadsheet yourself or purchase one of the many commercial products available.
2. Review the injury management portion of the induction and update it to reflect your policies and procedures. Make sure there is emphasis on the importance of return to work and the value of employees to the business.

Results

You have a good understanding of early intervention and injury management. Your system deals with most circumstances well but there may be a few aspects of your process that could be improved. This can be due to a lack of training or understanding by staff, limited or restricted resources or time or because of the structure and nature of your business.

Next steps

1. Consider your business structure and how it operates. Make sure that responsibility for early intervention and return to work is given to those that are in the best position to do it.
2. Train and educate all staff in the process and emphasise your commitment to injury management through provision of resources and training.
3. Make sure your process is transparent and workers are involved in their own return to work and claim.
4. Where it is practical to do so develop a relationship with a nearby clinic. Invite doctors to meet you and tour the worksite. This will assist in identification of duties and will reduce the instance of time lost due to doctors being unaware of what workers do.

Results

You do not set injury management goals, targets or KPIs. You may not have a system of regular reporting to senior management or they may be no mechanism in place to act on reports. You may not keep sufficient records of injuries/incidents or properly analyse them to make sure they do not happen again. Your procedures may also be out of date or irrelevant to your current practices and you may not have a system of internal audit and review.

All of these things can mean that you do not control your injury management system properly and this leaves you vulnerable to higher levels of injury and claims costs.

Next steps

1. Design and implement an injury management system. The procedure should reflect your process and must contain clear and concise expectations and accountabilities for you and your staff. The system should build in internal review and provide guidance on reporting and internal audit.
2. Make sure your system can be accessed by all of your staff but modified and edited by only a few people. This will ensure that you do not have multiple versions of the same documents and that you can be certain that the procedures are current and authorised.
3. Set goals, targets and KPIs for your injury management system and make sure you report on them regularly. The frequency of reporting will be dependent on the size of the business but should ideally be no less than quarterly. Review your goals annually based on previous and desired performance and never set goals that you cannot achieve. Remember KPIs are there to let you know that there may be a problem developing and to allow you to make adjustments before issues become big.
4. Make sure you keep detailed records of incidents, injuries and investigations. It is important that these records are kept formally (i.e. in a register or electronic system) rather than simply placed in a folder on shelf. These records will form the basis of your system review and reporting and will be a vital part of the improvement process.
5. Link goals and KPIs to accountability mechanisms such as performance reviews and action plans.