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The Importance of Disability Management Consulting

by Solutions Northwest | Feb 27, 2023 | ADA Accommodations, ADA Litigation Lawsuit, American Disabilities Act, Disability Leave, Vocational Assessments, Vocational Evaluations, Work Safety

The Importance of Disability Management Consulting

Did you know that about 61 million Americans live with a disability? With so many people in the United States suffering from a disability, you may end up hiring someone that has a disability.

In this situation, you need to know what you are legally responsible to provide as an employer. Also, you may need some help to get a better idea of how to efficiently run this work environment.

If this is the case with your company, then disability management consulting is what you need.

What is disability management? How will your company make it work?

This is your guide.

Knowing ADA Requirements

The first thing that you should do is familiarize yourself with ADA requirements. For those of you that do not know, this is the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This act helps give people with disabilities not only more rights in the workplace, but in public businesses in general.

An example could be having access to proper toilets. Every business of a certain size has to have at least one handicap accessible bathroom. If you are using porta potties for an outdoor event, at least 5% of them need to have that handicap access.

However, this is not limited to just toilets. Public businesses may be required to install ramps to fit the needs of those with a disability.

Now, let’s take this need to an office. Wider spaces may need to be arranged to allow open access to someone with a disability.

On top of this, if someone requires a service dog to get around, then a business has to comply with that. Also, access to things to enhance communication such as closed caption may be of use as well.

Disability Management

Now that we have discussed the requirements of certain businesses to be accommodating, let’s dive into disability management. When a business hires someone with a disability, they cannot fire a person for that reason. If they do, it can lead to a discrimination lawsuit.

So, there needs to be solutions and active efforts made to accommodate the person that has a disability. One way that you can do this is by assigning jobs that may be easier for that person to do.

For example, if someone is in a wheelchair, have them do a job like data entry that does not force them to leave the computer much. Or, if someone has difficulty hearing, perhaps do not put them on customer service or sales calls.

Get Disability Management Consulting

These are a few things that you need to be aware of in the workplace. Your business needs to accommodate not only customers coming in that might have a disability, but also potential employees as well. If you do, you can create a more inclusive workspace and avoid a discrimination lawsuit.

To take a step in the right direction, your company may need disability management consulting. If you need expert consultation, contact one of our vocational experts today to get one-on-one assistance.

At Solutions Northwest Inc., our vocational experts are involved in ADA Accommodations , personal injury, workers’ compensation, and family law.

Contact us today to make an appointment.

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Contact the Vocational Consultants at Solutions Northwest Inc. Below:

Multiple Locations

Corporate Office: 120 State Ave. NE #397
Olympia, WA 98501
Business Hours: 8am-5pm M-F
Corporate FAX: 360-866-4773
Email: Info@solutionsnw.com

Seattle, WA

206-521-5676

Portland/Salem, OR

503-768-9742

Olympia, WA

360-236-8748

Contact our Vocational Consultants

How To Prevent These 3 Common Office Injuries

by Solutions Northwest | Dec 20, 2022 | Ergonomics, Ergonomics Assessments, Ergonomics Solutions, Human Factors Theory, Office Design, Office Ergonomics, Office Management, Work Safety, Workplace Safety

How To Prevent These 3 Common Office Injuries

Returning to the Office – Tips to Prevent 3 Common Office Injuries from Ergonomics Consultants.

Whether you are recently returning to the office after working remotely or have worked in the office for years, it is easy to forget that there are still work hazards in such a seemingly benign environment.

Below, our ergonomics consultants will review 3 of the most common workplace injuries and how to avoid them.

1. Slip and Fall Injury

While 1 in 4 accidents in the warehousing and storage industry occur when employees fall, that doesn’t mean the office is immune from slip and fall injury. In fact, according to the National Safety Council, “research finds that ‘fall from the same level injury is one of the highest injury causes” in the workplace. These “same level” falls generally occur when one spills in the office and does not properly clean the spill.

Prevent workplace injury with a policy to always clean up spills in the office (even if the mess was caused by someone else) and post proper hazard signs on wet surfaces that are being cleaned.

Also, be mindful that not all slips will come from spilt beverages. Prevent injury by being cleaning up after wet floors from rain, exposed cords, unstable work surfaces, uneven floors, loose rugs, cluttered areas, or even dusty areas that may cause employees to slip and injure themselves.

2. Repetitive Injury Due to Improper Office Ergonomics

While most offices don’t require workers to engage in strenuous activity like lifting heavy objects, most offices do require employees to use a computer.

Working for extended hours on the computer can contribute to repetitive stress in the wrist, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

To prevent injury at work, it is important to design an employee’s desk with ergonomics in mind. We recommend having an ergonomic assessment done by an ergonomics expert to setup a workstation designed for comfort, efficiency, and worker safety.

Consider investing in an ergonomic keyboard and mouse as well as learning wrist exercises and hand stretches.

3. Fire Safety

Fire safety should never be ignored. Whether from a kitchen accident or faulty wiring, if a fire breaks out your office should be equipped to handle it.

Fire extinguishers in the appropriate places and exits that are clear of obstacles and properly marked are very important in making sure that employees can evacuate safely and in a timely fashion.

Always Have an Office Safety Plan

Make sure your Human Resources department has developed an office safety plan. If you already have one, be sure to review it annually and update it whenever changes in procedures or the office environment could create new hazards or impact existing ones.

Need help developing an office safety plan or assessing your office safety needs? At Solutions Northwest Inc., our mission is to prevent workplace conditions and injuries from developing and to intervene when prevention has stumbled.

Solutions Northwest Inc. offers the resources of highly skilled and experienced Ergonomics Consultants who are exceedingly accomplished in their field. For more information contact us at SolutionsNW.com, we will be happy to help you!

Subscribe to our ergonomics blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics evaluations available in: Seattle, WA, Tacoma, WA, Olympia, WA, Vancouver, WA, Kent, WA Renton, WA, Beaverton, OR, Portland, OR, Salem, OR.

Virtual Ergonomics Assessment available nationwide!