Laura Rourke Kicked off the session with a presentation on WSIB Claims Management.  Laura has a wealth of knowledge in dealing with the WSIB and was available to answer any and all questions related to claims management.  Excerpts from her presentation:

Why is claims management important?

• Early & Safety Return to Work is a legal requirement
• Good claims management will help employees feel valued and return to their pre-injury or equivalent job
• Cost implications - the longer someone is away from work, the higher the claim costs
• High claim costs affect your experience rating and can lead to penalties (Surcharge/Workwell)

Pre-Injury Claims Management

• Have a procedure
• Ensure everyone knows the process to follow
• Supervisors
• Employees
• Have possible modified duties identified and incorporated into your written offer (e.g. Updating MSDSs).

Laura also talked about:

• The roles and responcibilities of the supervisors.
• The employees responsibilities.
• What should the initial response be?
• Modified duties
• WSIB Work Reintegration Policy.
• Medical
• And costs associated with WSIB Claims Management.

Laura's presentation provided templates (The following templates can be found in her presentation that is posted on the website at: http://www.emccanada.org/membersonl/ontario/saultstema/2010/wsib-claims-management-fall-2011pptx )

• Supervisor's package
• Early and safe return to work package
• Investigation form
• Modified Duties offer
• Duty Tracking form

Laura also walked showed everyone how to read a NEER statement.  The response from this presentation was awesome, everyone walked away with something.

Glenn Brannen is an expert in and has a wealth of knowledge with regards to understanding and utilizing occupational Health Services in an Effective return to work strategy.  The risks to an organization relating to employee health are many. One of the more obvious risks is illness or injury resulting in time off work. The cause may be work or non-work related. Either way, employers must make decisions relating to return to work. Often these decisions are made with little or no information. 

Privacy of personal information laws, combined with a medical system that has no role for the employer in the Doctor/Patient relationship, make it difficult for employers to make informed decisions.

You can click on the following link to see Glenn's presentation in full:  http://www.emccanada.org/membersonl/ontario/saultstema/2010/the-role-of-occupational-health-services-in-an-eff

Glenn goes on to discuss trends in Healthcare as well as

• Downloading to Employers
  • Healthcare system Is challenged with out of control costs
  • De-listing of covered services from OHIP
• Aging Workforce
• Unhealthy Lifestyles
• New and Exotic Diseases
• Occupational Diseases
• Doctor Shortage
• Changes in WSIB - risk to employers
• Employer's Role in Dr/Patient Relationship
• Privacy of Personal information
• Return to Work Programs
• Occupational Health Tools
• Job Task Analysis
• Pre-Employment Screening
• Functional Capacity Evaluation
• Independent Medical Evaluations
• Ergonomic Assessments
• Cost Justification 

To see the whole presentation, please click on: http://www.emccanada.org/membersonl/ontario/saultstema/2010/the-role-of-occupational-health-services-in-an-eff 

Tibor Turi and Sarah O'Neil from NSERC talked about the government Grants that are available through the National Sciences and Researching Council of Canada.  They have several programs that are available to help manufacturers and small to medium sized organizations across Canada.  For more information on the programs you can see the whole presentation at:

http://www.emccanada.org/membersonl/ontario/saultstema/2010/nserc-emc-meeting-north-bay-sept-22-2011-for-emc-w

Thanks go out to Soo Foundry in Sault Ste. Marie, B&D Manufacturing in Sudbury and North Bay Machining Center in North Bay for hosting this event.  I look forward to seeing you all at our next SIG event.

About the speakers:

Laura Rourke has over 15 years of environment, health & safety experience. She started her career in waste management and soon thereafter moved into the manufacturing sector. Laura is a Canadian Register Safety Professional and an Environmental Engineer.  Laura first supported all aspects of environment, health & safety activities for a large rubber automotive parts and rubber mixing organization, eventually becoming the Canadian Corporate EHS Manager. Next, Laura moved to an Ontario based electronics manufacturer where she was the Global Manufacturing Manager of Environment, Health & Safety. In addition to traditional EHS management, Laura supported Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives including sustainability reporting to customers and other interested parties.

Glen Brannen is a General Manager with 25 years of business experience. As an employer, he has unique insight into the risks associated with employee health. As general manager, Glen Brannen coordinates the activities of a team of professionals dedicated to delivering quality employee health related services.  Partnering with Focus Workplace Medical Director, Dr. Douglas Friars, Glen is able to develop and deliver services that provide benefits to both employers and employees. Glen is often called to share his expertise with Human Resources students at Conestoga College.

Tibor Turi, Ph.D., P.Eng.  -  Manager; National Sciences and Research Council of Canada

Sarah O'Neill,  Research Partnerships Promotion Officer.

Respectfully,

Kevin McCormick.