The fourth of six certification courses offered within Prevention Link’s core curriculum, is designed for participants who will or currently assist injured workers, individually or collectively, through a therapeutic return to work (RTW) and provides workplace parties with the tools necessary to develop strategies that ensure successful outcomes.
Through the exploration of leading research, law, and evidence-based best practices, participants learn:
- The principles of good return to work practices and the Duty to Accommodate;
- Legal lessons from precedent-setting cases and their practical use;
- Barriers to successful return to work and their elimination using the social model of disability and therapeutic return to work principles;
- An in-depth comparison between older methods of disability management and the newer progressive disability prevention model;
- The paradigm shift from management to prevention; and
- The roles of the parties involved (employer, an injured worker, representative, H&S representatives) including their rights and responsibilities in the process.
Return to work and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are presented with respect to the Act and Board policies. The hierarchy of RTW job opportunities, the definitions used, the roles of the parties, dispute resolutions and penalties are covered. The Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and return to work are discussed with a comparison of WSIB and OHRC obligations.