Developing and monitoring suitable duties programs

Workplace rehabilitation in a workers’ compensation system focuses on returning the worker to safe, suitable work at the earliest possible time. This ensures workers keep their valuable work skills and are less affected by the human and financial costs of work injury.

In Queensland, the return to work plan is called a suitable duties program (SDP). The SDP is more than a list of duties that fall within the doctor’s guidelines of what a person can or can't do—it’s a crucial part of the return to work process for many people. The SDP helps the injured worker return to work safely and recondition—physically and emotionally—for work.

Who develops the SDP?

A rehabilitation and return to work coordinator, employer and/or insurer may develop the SDP for straightforward cases (e.g. minor sprains or strains). However, the SDP may need a detailed task analysis of the normal duties and those available for the graduated return to normal duties through one or even a series of SDPs.

We recommend you use a rehabilitation professional to help with serious work-related injuries, particularly if you feel you don’t have enough information to manage the worker’s return to work.

Rehabilitation professionals have tertiary training that enables them to understand:

• the tasks and their physiological demands

• the underlying injury mechanism

• the underlying pathology of the injury

• the implications for the worker’s rehabilitation.

SDPs need to be monitored

SDP’s often need changes during the program depending upon the unique circumstances of the individual, their specific injury and their rate of recovery. You may need the knowledge and expertise of a rehabilitation professional to adjust the SDP for serious injuries based on this monitoring. This ensures the SDP is most effective for the worker.

For more information, contact us on 1300 361 235 or rehab@qcomp.com.au.

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