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Case 8: Amputation of right arm and leg resulting from serious road accident

Organisation

The company is a European convenience food group focused on the added-value sector of the food industry, and in particular the growing market for convenience and prepared foods both in the UK and Continental Europe. The site is a Food manufacturing site employing around 400 individuals.

Accident

A 28 year old worker employed as a craftsman in the engineering department was involved in a very serious road traffic accident resulting in amputation of his right arm and leg. He also suffered complicated fractures of his left arm.

Company policy

The referral criteria of individuals to the occupational health function is as follows:

  • Sickness absence or 8 or more calendar days
  • Absence review as per trigger points for short term and long term sickness absence as per policy
  • On the day of an industrial injury, or as soon as possible
  • On the first day of absence if it is possibly work related
  • Should managers have concern regarding an employee’s fitness to work

Intervention

The case was referred to the company’s Occupational Health department. It was evident in the initial stages that simply maintaining contact to monitor progress was appropriate. The employee was discharged from an intensive rehabilitation unit with a prosthetic leg five months following the accident.

A meeting was arranged to discuss possible rehabilitation back into the work place. The complexity of the workplace today demands that the delivery of rehabilitation must be a collaborative initiative between management, health care professionals, health and safety practitioners and the employee.

Due to the employees disabilities it was not considered possible for him to return to his previous job, and the possibility of alternative work with reasonable adjustments was explored.  It was considered likely that he could return to desk-based duties and train for project management, remaining in the engineering department.

Six months following the accident he was invited to visit his work colleagues and to meet and discuss his future career within the business.

The employee was very enthusiastic to be integrated back into the working environment and was willing to attend for any assessments etc.

Agencies utilised

Access to work

– gave advice regarding aids and agencies that were available and the financial assistance they would give.

Posturite

– gave advice and supplied equipment to assist with seating and workstation

IT company

– provided voice activated computer programs, left hand only keyboard and training.

Other Occupational Health and Safety, department manager and engineers were involved in completing risk assessments on structural alterations that were necessary to ensure safe access and egress to his place of work, and also to welfare facilities such as the canteen and toilets. Information from the individual’s medical team was an integral part of the assessments.

Transport to and from work were also offered, however were not required as the employee had already undertaken driver assessments at a mobility centre and awaiting delivery of a specially adapted car.

Return to work

The employee returned to work initially working 3 hours 3 days a week, this was gradually increased and took hospital appointments and continuing care into consideration and was directly lead by occupational health. As his physical abilities improved, reassessments were carried out to ensure that the adoptions made and the equipment supplied remained suitable or were changed. The employee returned to full time employment within 6 months.

This gentleman was only able to return to work as a direct result of the effectiveness of a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation team.

Continued progress

The employee has completed the first year of a four year project management course on a day release basis, funded by the company. Despite some initial reservations by staff members that the rehabilitation team were being too optimistic returning the employee to work, he is considered a valuable member of staff, completing the expected role competently and independently. He also attends social functions and plays skittles. He has not used a wheelchair or crutches and his positive attitude to life has enabled him to continue leading a normal life.

Benefits to the business

  • retention of a skilled employee
  • a valued employee on retraining
  • 90% of the cost of specialist equipment was paid through the access to work scheme
  • reduction of total disability cost to the organization through reduced long term sickness, no cost to the pension scheme as early ill health retirement was not required
  • complied with statutory responsibility in accordance with Disability Discrimination Act
  • successful rehabilitation eliminated disincentives that frequently results from long separation from the work place.

This was made possible due to effective team work

Benefits to the individual

  • restored the individual to the highest possible level of mobility as soon as was appropriate
  • allowed the employee to regain his confidence by integrating him back into the work environment as soon as it was appropriate

Link URLs in this page

  1. Food & drink manufacturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/index.htm
  2. Common risks - in food and drink manufacturing industrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/industries.htm
  3. Meat, poultry and fishhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/slaughter.htm
  4. Milling, animal feedshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/grain.htm
  5. Bakery productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/bakery.htm
  6. Dairy productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dairy.htm
  7. Fruit and vegetableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/fruitveg.htm
  8. Alcoholic and soft drinkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/drink.htm
  9. Chilled and frozen products https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/chilled.htm
  10. Supply chainhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/chain.htm
  11. Safety risks overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/safety-hazards.htm
  12. Manual handlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/handling.htm
  13. Slips on wet or contaminated floorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/slips.htm
  14. Falls from heighthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/falls.htm
  15. Workplace transporthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/transport.htm
  16. Struck by somethinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/struckby.htm
  17. Overview - Food processing machineryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/machinery.htm
  18. European CEN 'C' Standards for food processing machineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/standards.htm
  19. Packaging machineryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/package.htm
  20. Overview - Prevention of dust explosionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosion.htm
  21. Selection and use of vacuum cleanershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosionapp1.htm
  22. Explosion relief for small bins and siloshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosionapp2.htm
  23. Overview - Occupational health topicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/healthtopics.htm
  24. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/musculoskeletal.htm
  25. Dermatitishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dermatitis.htm
  26. Noise induced hearing losshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/noise.htm
  27. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/asthma.htm
  28. Low dust flourhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/low-flour-dust.htm
  29. Exposure to disinfectantshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/disinfectants.htm
  30. Work-related stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/stress.htm
  31. Overview - Occupational rehabilitationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/index.htm
  32. OH Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/casestudies.htm
  33. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/information.htm
  34. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/experience.htm
  35. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/links.htm
  36. Food and Drink Manufacture Health and Safety Forumhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/forum.htm
  37. Topics of interesthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/live.htm
  38. Case studies menuhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/casestudies.htm
  39. Previous case studyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/case7.htm
  40. Next case studyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/case9.htm
  41. A recipe for safety: Occupational health and safety in food and drink manufacturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg252.htm
  42. Moving food and drink: Manual handling solutions for the food and drink industries https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg196.htm
  43. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/experience.htm
  44. Food Standards Agencyhttps://www.food.gov.uk/
  45. Slips and tripshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm
  46. Fallshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
  47. Musculoskeletal disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/index.htm
  48. Workplace transport micrositehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/index.htm
  49. Equipment at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/index.htm
  50. Back painhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/backpain/index.htm
  51. Pushing and pullinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/pushpull/index.htm
  52. MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/index.htm
  53. Food and Drink Manufacturing Forumhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/forum.htm
  54. Federation of Bakers (FoB)https://www.fob.uk.com/
  55. Craft Bakers Associationhttps://www.craftbakersassociation.co.uk/
  56. British Meat Processors Association (BMPA)https://britishmeatindustry.org/
  57. Dairy UKhttps://www.dairyuk.org/
  58. Chilled Foods Association (CFA)https://www.chilledfood.org/
  59. British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)https://www.bfff.co.uk/
  60. Food Standards Agencyhttps://www.food.gov.uk/
  61. IOSH Food and Drink Grouphttps://www.iosh.co.uk/groups/food_and_drink_group.aspx

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Updated 2023-06-15