Question 2:

Fairview Nurseries which is one of Canada’s largest growers of potted plants needs to follow some very
effective practices to reduce the ongoing increase in disability claims due to recurring injuries. These
best practices can be divided into a short-term and a long-term plan which will help the company to
effectively reduce the disability claims and help the company's growth in the long-term perspective.

Short-term Plan: A temporarily disabled worker who is returning to work should probably be our main
concern in the short-term plan. They should be evaluated based on a psychosocial point of view. The
first one is less effort work where returning workers should be offered less demanding work. For
example, a worker with a back injury should not be lifting any heavy loads. Progressive disclosure is also
another step where the workers working hours are gradually increased in the period to that of a pre-
injury state. This can also be termed as work hardening. Another one would be supported and sheltered
work which is only for the permanent disable workers who cannot fully perform the task in a fully
competitive environment and requires support to complete the work. These above disability
management practices can help to some extent but we need to implement a robust plan to restore
worker health keeping the company's growth in mind and that's where a long-term plan comes in.

Long-term plan: In this, the disability management program should have an integral approach that
focuses on early intervention which will result in an effective return to work and reduced disability
claims. By encouraging a positive safety climate in which disability management can be very effective if
it is embedded in the organizational system which encourages safety initiatives. The organization's cost
is benefited by promoting the prevention and by the reduction of incidents and illness. Moreover, refer
to the safety records of the organization to find out the frequency of the incidents for the particular job
and measures to prevent it. Also, educating the supervisors about the program as they are the ones who
get early contact with the injured worker and the supervisor must have some knowledge about disability
management. The roles of supervisors can be expanded by the company to include assistance and
support to disabled employees. Lastly, Proper management of claims and monitoring system helps
disability management to handle claims within the company in a sensible and timely fashion.

These best practices of disability management can help control the rising trend of disability claims in the
short-term plan, and reduce the recurring injuries in the long-term plan, which will help the organization
to restore worker health while supporting the company’s growth.