Why and when is a Occupational health assessment deployed?

An employee's prolonged absence is no fun for either the employer or the employee. Yet at some point you want to know whether an employee can still reintegrate and what the possibilities are. You can have a Occupational health assessment performed by Puls. But what will you get answers to during the investigation and when would you use a Occupational health assessment ?

Why a Occupational health assessment?

If an employee has been incapacitated for an extended period of time and the employer wants a clear and well-supported opinion on work reintegration options, it is wise to have a Occupational health assessment performed. In a Occupational health assessment , the Occupational Assessor weighs the taxability of the employee and the load in the job. The load capacity is written down by the (company) doctor in a Function Capability List (FML) and the workload is determined by the Occupational Assessor. On the basis of this weighing and the legislation (WvP) on reintegration, the Occupational Assessor will answer the following questions:

• Can the employee return to own work?
• Can the employee's work be modified?
• Can the employee reintegrate into other work with their own employer?
• Are there opportunities in the job market to guide the employee to other work with another employer?

Reintegration through 1st track or 2

The Occupational Assessor has separate interviews with the employer and the employee and visits the workplace. If necessary, a final three-way discussion follows. By answering the aforementioned questions, the Occupational Assessor determines the most optimal reintegration plan. Reintegration can take place in two ways: via track1 and/or 2nd track. Reintegration with one's own employer is called 1st track . Reintegration with another employer is called 2nd track .

When is a Occupational health assessment deployed?

A Occupational health assessment takes place (usually) at the end of the first year of illness and provides insight into the reintegration activities taken so far and which steps could still be taken in the reintegration.

From the Wet Verbetering Poortwachter (WvP) it is expected, that both the employer and the employee do everything possible to make the reintegration as smooth as possible.

Reintegration obligations

If it appears that the employer and the employee have not met the reintegration obligations, a wage penalty of one year can be imposed by the UWV. This means that the employer must continue to pay the employee's wages for another year.

In that year, the employer still has the opportunity to fulfill the reintegration obligations. The Wet Verbetering Poortwachter stipulates that the employer must start a possible second track at the latest at the end of the first year of absenteeism. By that time, insight into the reintegration possibilities of the sick employee is therefore recommended.

But there may be good reasons to carry out a Occupational health assessment earlier. For example, when it is already clear before then that return to one's own work is no longer possible or the reintegration is 'stuck' and the employer would benefit from advice from a Occupational Assessor to get the reintegration 'afloat' again.

Your partner in labor expertise.

Is the end of the first year of illness approaching and you need to have a Occupational health assessment performed or want to have it performed early? Then contact us without obligation and read more about Occupational Assessor examinations on our website.