occupational health appointment after injure at work

watermelon18

I’ve got injure at work and had a surgery about 3 weeks ago and was signed off work by doctor for 5 weeks. But today my company contacted me to ask me to attend an occupational health appointment next week. Is there anything I need be prepared because I know my company will try to fire staff once they have accident at work from the past?

Marcon

How long have you been employed there?

watermelon18

nearly 6 years

karenkayb

Hi,

An OH appointment is a way of assessing what your employer can do to help you at work e.g. if they need to make any adjustments to your hours, working location etc, especially as you've had an accident. They won't try to catch you out. While it's best to remember that your employer is not legally obliged to accept the findings of the OH report, they cannot fire you for being off work recovering from your injuries - that's discrimination.

ohreally

Ask what your employer has requested from them.

Marcon

karenkayb wrote: »

An OH appointment is a way of assessing what your employer can do to help you at work e.g. if they need to make any adjustments to your hours, working location etc, especially as you've had an accident. They won't try to catch you out. While it's best to remember that your employer is not legally obliged to accept the findings of the OH report, they cannot fire you for being off work recovering from your injuries - that's discrimination.

I think if you read OP's post again, it sounds as if the employer isn't likely to have too much sympathy for someone who has been injured at work. What the law says and what an employer actually does don't always correlate.

Undervalued

karenkayb wrote: »

Hi,

An OH appointment is a way of assessing what your employer can do to help you at work e.g. if they need to make any adjustments to your hours, working location etc, especially as you've had an accident. They won't try to catch you out. While it's best to remember that your employer is not legally obliged to accept the findings of the OH report, they cannot fire you for being off work recovering from your injuries - that's discrimination.

No it is not!

Take that to its logical conclusion, somebody so badly injured at work they could never work again would have to stay on the payroll for ever!

They can apply just the same criteria as they would with any other employee who was injured or ill regardless of how they came about their injury or illness.

It the injury was the firm's fault then the OP may have grounds to sue them. If they have lost their job as a result AND win their case it would likely increase the size of any compensation.

But it is not discrimination!

sangie595

karenkayb wrote: »

Hi,

An OH appointment is a way of assessing what your employer can do to help you at work e.g. if they need to make any adjustments to your hours, working location etc, especially as you've had an accident. They won't try to catch you out. While it's best to remember that your employer is not legally obliged to accept the findings of the OH report, they cannot fire you for being off work recovering from your injuries - that's discrimination.

As others have said, this is not true. The employer most certainly can fire someone for being off work for any reason. Whether that is a wise or legally fair thing to do is an entirely different matter. But it is also the case that having an accident at work does not automatically mean that the employer bears any responsibility either.

Discrimination also has a very specific meaning in law, and only applies to actions arising from very specific causes. Being off sick, for any reason whatever, is not one of the protected characteristics.

watermelon18

I know they have a whole team with a lawyer would try to find a way to blame it’s my fault even I’ve got injury at work as that’s how they did to other employees in the past. Actually they would blame me breaking the health and safety rules and arrange a hearing for it with a lawyer represent them. That’s why I am so cautious to know how to prepare for the worse scenario.

kingfisherblue

Two things - firstly, did you break Health and Safety rules? Secondly, if you are using your real name to post, you might want to contact the admin team and ask them to change it to an anonymous user name.

watermelon18

Thanks. First I didn't break the rule, but they are very good at how to manipulate the rules. Second, I will get my name changed.