As we age, visual impairments become more apparent at the workplace. Our natural visual capabilities change as our years progress but our work demands appear to remain the same. Also, as individuals age, they are more prone to visual disturbances related to health issues such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and macular degeneration. This webtip focuses on strategies to accommodate individuals with visual impairments in the workplace.  As well you are provided with a presentation on visual ergonomics and a health eyes tip sheet.

This webtip provides you with the latest disability management trends and legislative changes.  There is access to resources and websites that will allow you to stay on top of the changes.  Additional resources are available for members under the resources section. Once you have purchased the webtip you too can have access to the resources page.

Recently occupational health interventions have changed from disease and symptom treatment to a more functional model of disability prevention. In the past, the healthcare system inaccurately followed theories such as the 'rest-to-recover' myth. It took years of telling low-back injured workers to 'go home and rest' to learn that this model of recovery was in fact flawed. All the evidence today suggests that people with physical and mental health conditions are able to rise to meet challenges and do not require rest for the recovery process to occur.

Shift work is common in many of our workplaces. In fact over 25% of the workforce in North America works in a shift work environment. It may include working continuous night shift or rotational shifts. Recent studies have documented the health effects of shift work. This webtip will examine the latest research and strategies to counteract the health effects of shift work. It will also examine strategies that you can use to question a medical note that indicates "no shift work" to ensure that your accommodation is appropriate.

The McGuinty Government's Safe At Work Ontario has developed a new approach to workplace and health safety which focuses on workplaces with higher than average lost-time injury rates and claim costs.  On March 18, 2009 the McGuinty Government announced that an April 2009 blitz would target Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) at the workplace (Ministry of Labour, 2009).  This webtip will provide you with the research results and steps that employers can take to control for this pain.

This webtip discusses some legal decisions, and practical approaches to your requirement to meet the new Bill 168 regulations.  We are also including a brief PowerPoint presentation that can be used in your workplace to help managers and the workplace parties understand what they can do to address Violence and Harassment in the Workplace.

Mental health has become the concern of many companies around the world. It robs individuals of their productivity, self worth and their ability to function and robs employers of their competitive advantage. This webtip focuses on the latest statistics, legal decisions with respect to accommodation of mental health conditions and provides you with strategies to accommodate individuals in the workplace. Included with this webtip is a chart of accommodation strategies you can use in your workplace.

Worklessness (or the inability to work) was found to be as costly to your health as smoking 10 cigarettes per day (study completed in the UK, 2008).  Work provides a purpose and identity for individuals.  Having meaningful and productive work to do, is part of a well balanced quality of life.   For many individuals with Acquired Brain Injury the road back to work can be difficult and even mild brain injuries can interfere with being able to complete job tasks.  It is important to understand the employer's duty to accommodate individuals with disabilities when returning to work and your

In past web tips we have examined red and yellow flags that might predict workplace disability and chronicity of disability.  This tip will review various flags that can help a disability management professional determine issues that may delay recovery. The contents of this web tip have been taken from the "Musculoskeletal disorders: primary and secondary interventions" by Robert J. Gatchel, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 14 (2004), 161-170.

The business and economic atmosphere is changing. With that change comes the challenge of promoting disability management and return to work as key components for any workplace. This Webtip outlines the strategies that you can use to promote disability management and how to approach a disability management audit in your workplace. Measurement and reporting on the results on any disability management program will help to keep the corporate senior management team committed to your goals and objectives even in this difficult economic environment.

The Ontario Medical Association approved the newest addition of the Position Paper on "The Role of the Primary Care Physician in Timely Return to Work" in December 2008. The following are the core recommendations contained in this position paper. It is important that you examine the full report for all of the explanations of the role and the recommendations but this will provide you with an overview of the principles in this new paper. For the complete position paper visit the OMA website.