Return to work assistance - Local governments’ occupational accident professional service personnel assist workers suffering from occupational accidents in returning to their original work.

A sudden occupational accident may shake the whole family and leave it confused, sad and overwhelmed by the stress. Ms. Wang was the main breadwinner of her family, and at the time of the accident, she was not clear about her rights and interests from the occupational accidents, her right thumb was broken and could not be reattached, resulting in a physical disability; in addition, her employer had a different understanding of compensation for occupational accidents, which led to a labor dispute. She did not know whether she could return to her original work smoothly and her heart was filled with enormous worries and sadness.

The Ministry of Labor, in order to assist workers and accompany them through occupational injuries, subsidizes local governments to furnish occupational accident professional service personnel to provide workers suffering from occupational accidents with individualized services, including consultation on labor rights and interests, mediation of labor disputes, legal assistance, and psychological support, occupational rehabilitation or vocational rehabilitation, and employment services, etc. The purpose of these services is to help workers suffering from occupational accidents overcome their difficulties and return to the labor market smoothly. This report on Ms. Wang’s case focuses on the process of her getting assistance. For more details, please download the attachment at the end of this article.

In this case, the professional service personnel of the Family Assistance Program for workers suffering from occupational accidents provided Ms. Wang with individualized and in-depth services and assisted her in obtaining counseling on labor rights and interests, registering for labor dispute mediation, resolving the issue of the employer's failure to fulfill his responsibility to pay compensation for occupational accidents, and even accompanying her along the way with psychological support by inviting her to participate in the support group for workers suffering from occupational accidents to share her feelings. Subsequently, the professional service personnel helped her apply for occupational accident disability benefits and the Kaohsiung City’s occupational accident consolation grant to avoid a financial crisis for her family. Finally, with the help of an occupational rehabilitation institution, she was able to resume her working capacity and return to her original work smoothly with an adjustment of duties.

For such kind of occupational accidents, when the incident just took place, the affected worker is usually at a loss as to what to do. It is through the efforts of the local governments’ professional service personnel to understand their individualized needs, to count and link resources, and to explain to the client how the resources would be used to assist workers suffering from occupational accidents to receive assistance easily and to safeguard their relevant rights and interests. The concerted efforts of the resources, as well as the trust and cooperation of workers suffering from occupational accidents, are crucial in accomplishing the set goals. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor and the Center for Occupational Accident Prevention and Rehabilitation immediately provide workers suffering from occupational accidents with one-stop case management services, efficiently bringing together resources for occupational rehabilitation and vocational rehabilitation to refine the services for helping these workers suffering from occupational accidents return to work.

In the future, for resources such as occupational rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation, and return to work assistance, local governments’ professional service personnel should work more closely with medical institutions approved to operate occupational injury and disease outpatient clinics in accordance with the Labor Occupational Accident Insurance and Protection Act, as well as with approved occupational rehabilitation professional institutions. By doing so, we hope to provide the most appropriate services for workers suffering from occupational accidents to achieve the ultimate goal of their returning to work.