Client question:  Any advice for getting a person back to work after they have been given a Permanent Impairment rating?

Addressing the elephant in the room - Fear

Being assessed as having a permanent impairment doesn’t automatically mean a person will be unable to do their job.

There is often a lot of fear around returning a person to a role following a permanent impairment assessment, but it doesn’t need to be the case.

Occupational and Environmental Physician, Dr Angus Forbes explains, “When talking about permanent impairment and disability it is important to be clear. The two are actually different concepts. Impairment is a medical assessment – under AMA 5* – where you get a percentage rating of how the loss of a body part/ function is measured, whereas disability – in the work context – is about how the loss impacts your ability to do your job.”

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"When talking about permanent impairment and disability it is important to be clear. The two are actually different concepts."

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Take the example,of a worker who has lost their little finger. This will give the person a permanent impairment rating of around 5% whole person impairment according to AMA 5*.

However, the impact on the person’s work performance will vary depending on the role and its inherent tasks.  

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Understanding the impact on the worker's role

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Dr Forbes points out, “Impairment classification will be the same regardless of whether you are an office worker, or a plumber or a concert pianist. But the impact on your ability to your job will be vastly different for the concert pianist than say the tradie.”

Losing a finger would most likely be a career ending disability for a professional piano performer who requires all ten digits especially for complex pieces of music requiring speed, precision and broad hand spans. The little finger is essential for reaching certain notes, supporting chords, and executing arpeggios and trills.

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The impact on a plumber? Whilst plumbers need their hands for gripping and manipulating tools and equipment, they rely more on thumb, middle and index fingers. Loss of the little finger may reduce overall grip strength, but workarounds can compensate.

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The role of early intervention

In any case of occupational injury, return-to-work processes should start well before any permanent impairment rating has been given. Best practice early intervention approach to injury management should encompass:

• evidence based medical treatment and active rehabilitation program
• regularly upgraded suitable duties and
• good communication between worker, workplace and rehabilitation coordinator.

Do you have a worker who has been assessed as having a permanent impairment, and you're not sure how to best manage their safe return to work? Give our team a call on 1300 333 767.

*The American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Fifth Edition (AMA 5), is the guide on which the Queensland Guidelines for Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (GEPI) system is largely based. GEPI are Queensland's official standards for assessing the degree of permanent impairment resulting from work-related injuries or diseases within the workers' compensation framework.

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