Today's post was shared by Lynch Ryan and comes from www.safetynewsalert.com
Due to a workplace injury, an employee had a permanent 20-pound lifting restriction. She applied for a position that required heavy lifting. Did the company have to accept her suggestion on how to accommodate her restriction?
Renee Majors worked at the General Electric (GE) Bloomington, IN, plant. In 2000, she suffered a work-related injury to her right shoulder that left her limited to lifting no more than 20 pounds and precluded her from work above shoulder level with her right arm.
The restrictions were temporary at first, but they were later determined to be permanent.
In 2009, Majors was the senior eligible bidder for a temporary purchased material auditor position under the collective bargaining agreement with GE. An essential function of the position was “intermittent movement of heavy objects.”
The plant’s lead occupational health nurse reviewed the job and noted that Majors had permanent lifting restrictions and the job required movement of heavy objects. The nurse determined Majors wasn’t medically qualified for the position.
Majors told management she believed she could perform the auditor position. GE further investigated whether her lifting restrictions could be accommodated. An ergonomic specialist weighed objects the auditor would have to lift and confirmed the objects weighed more than 20 pounds.
Majors suggested a material handler could do the lifting. She also claimed the lifting restrictions no longer limited her.
GE decided Majors..
.
[Click here to see the rest of this article]Renee Majors worked at the General Electric (GE) Bloomington, IN, plant. In 2000, she suffered a work-related injury to her right shoulder that left her limited to lifting no more than 20 pounds and precluded her from work above shoulder level with her right arm.The restrictions were temporary at first, but they were later determined to be permanent.
In 2009, Majors was the senior eligible bidder for a temporary purchased material auditor position under the collective bargaining agreement with GE. An essential function of the position was “intermittent movement of heavy objects.”
The plant’s lead occupational health nurse reviewed the job and noted that Majors had permanent lifting restrictions and the job required movement of heavy objects. The nurse determined Majors wasn’t medically qualified for the position.
Majors told management she believed she could perform the auditor position. GE further investigated whether her lifting restrictions could be accommodated. An ergonomic specialist weighed objects the auditor would have to lift and confirmed the objects weighed more than 20 pounds.
Majors suggested a material handler could do the lifting. She also claimed the lifting restrictions no longer limited her.
GE decided Majors..
.
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Read more about "lifting" and workers' compensation:
Feb 17, 2012
The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) has published educational information to prevent musculoskeletal injuries at work. Injuries caused by ergonomic factors have been a major issue of the ...
May 27, 2011
For example, patient lifting has been a substantial cause of low back injuries among the 1.8 million U.S. health-care workers in nursing care and residential facilities. In the late 1990s, an evaluation of a best practices ...
May 06, 2013
NIOSH Acts To Prevent Lifting Injuries For Home Healthcare Workers. The National ... Lifting and moving clients create a high risk for back injury and other musculoskeletal disorders for home healthcare workers. Click here to .
