Hoffman Estates Fire Department Standard Operating Guidelines PDF

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: ADMINISTRATIVE – 022 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title:...

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: ADMINISTRATIVE – 022 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title: Light Duty Revision: 3 APPROVED BY: NUMBER OF PAGES: Re-evaluation Date: Alan Wax January 1, 2024 Fire Chief 4 PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to clarify the conditions under which the Department will place an employee on "light" duty, and to provide guidance for administering the policy consistently. RESPONSIBILITY The Village Risk Manager and Fire Chief are responsible for monitoring the administration of the policy. All requests for light duty assignments based on physical or medical restrictions must be reviewed by the Risk Manager who will consult with the Fire Chief any light duty request. The Fire Chief or his designee will be responsible for working with the Risk Manager to determine the availability of assignments and coordinate the employee's return to full duty status. DEFINITIONS Light duty is defined as that temporary work which can be accomplished by an injured or ill employee within medical or physical limitations, and without exposing others to the risk of being harmed. Light duty is further defined as that temporary work which when accomplished will con- tribute to the fulfillment of the mission of the Department as distinguished from "make work" assignments created solely to accommodate ill or injured employees. POLICY It is the policy of the Hoffman Estates Fire Department to provide light duty work for reasons including but not limited to the following: A. To assist employees in recuperating from a temporary illness or injury by reintroducing them gradually to the demands of full duty work. B. To avoid placing temporarily disabled employees in positions that may aggravate 1  their existing injury or illness or risk having them harm other persons or property, by assigning them work they can perform within their medical or physical restrictions. C. To conserve resources by having recuperating employees accomplish meaningful work that is otherwise performed by the regular work force. D. To assist in determining an employee's fitness for duty. 1. The Department Creates No "Make Work" Assignments: Based on the aforementioned objectives, there is no intention of creating "make work" assignments for any employee, regardless of the employee's physical condition, disability or illness. Employees assigned to light duty are placed in full pay status and expected to perform a fair day's work in a function that substantially contributes to the mission of the department and the Village. 2. Availability of Light Duty Work: The Village will not deny an employee's request for available light duty work except for reasonable justification, but no employee will be moved from his/her regular job to make light duty work available to another employee and the Village will not be required to create a light duty assignment for an employee. The employee will not receive out-of-classification pay while performing light duty work. However, the employee shall earn no less while performing any light duty assignment than the wage earned at the time the employee became disabled. Moreover, some employees may be unable to perform certain light duty jobs because of lack of skills, training or similar reasons. The availability of light duty assignments may limit the number of individuals who can perform such work at any given time. In no instance will an injured employee be displaced from a light duty assignment in order to place another injured employee on the same light duty assignment. Finally, there will be instances where light duty is not available. 3. Duration: Light duty work is to be viewed as temporary in nature and as such will not be made permanent. Light duty may be denied if an employee does not reasonably expect to return to his/her regular duty within six (6) months from the date he/she applies for light duty. Case by Case Consideration of Requests Each light duty request is considered independently of any other past or present request. Thus, the circumstances of each case and the needs of the Village and the Department at the time of the request or when the placement is made shall determine the outcome. 2 PROCEDURE A. Duty Status Report: An employee, who is recuperating from an injury or illness, and unable to perform his regular duties, shall have his/her physician complete a Duty Status Report (see attached) unless waived by the Fire Chief. This includes the physician providing the initial treatment (i.e. ER physician). The Duty Status Report is available from the Risk Manager in Fire Administration and on the J Drive and Target Solutions. The employee's physician may substitute his/her own report if it contains the same information as the Village's Duty Status Report. The report must identify the employee's limitation(s) and the date on which the employee will next be examined or released for full duty. It is the responsibility of the employee to inform his/her physician that the Village has a light duty policy. B. Identification of Light Duty Work: The employee shall submit the Duty Status Report to the Shift Commander who will forward the report to Fire Department Staff, who will send it to the Village's Risk Manager. The Risk Manager will work with the Fire Chief in identifying light duty work that is compatible with the Village's need, the employee's restriction(s), and the duration of the light duty assignment, as determined by the physician. C. Expiration of Assignment: When the light duty assignment expires as stated on the Duty Status Report, the employee cannot continue to work without furnishing Fire Department Staff with a new Duty Status Report that will either: 1. Recommend the continuation of light duty for a specified period of time and state the date on which the employee will next be examined, or 2. Restrict the employee from performing any work for a specified period and state the date on which the employee will next be examined, or 3. Release the employee for full duty on a specified date. Any continuation of light duty will be processed like the original request. EXCEPTIONS REFERENCES 3  DUTY STATUS REPORT (To be Completed by Medical Provider) NOTE TO PROVIDER: The Village of Hoffman Estates has a comprehensive light duty policy. We will make every effort to return an employee to light duty work if indicated. Patient Name: Occupation: Diagnosis: 1. Is employee’s condition related to:  Injury/illness on-duty  Injury/illness off-duty 2. Is the employee able to perform regular work?  Yes, as of / /  No Date employee advised / / 3. If employee cannot resume regular work, please provide period of disability: Total Disability From / / To / / 4. Is the employee able to perform light duty work?  Yes  No If yes,  Part-Time  Full-Time From: / / To: / / If yes, indicate tolerance limitations below: Intermittent No Restriction Full Physical Limitations Restriction (hrs per day) Restriction Comments Sedentary Lifting 0 to 10 pounds Light Lifting 10 to 20 pounds Moderate Lifting 20 to 50 pounds Heavy Lifting 50 to 100 pounds Pulling/Pushing/Carrying/Grasping Reaching or Working Above Shoulder Walking Standing Sitting Stooping Kneeling Repeated Bending Climbing a Ladder Operating an Automobile Operating a Medium Duty Vehicle Operating a Heavy Duty Vehicle/Equipment Exposure Limitations (Indicate Below) Heat Stress Cold Other: Fumes Noise Dust 5. Detailed Prognosis 6. Date of examination: Date of next appointment: (If applicable) 7. Has employee been provided a copy of this completed form?  Yes  No Date Provided: / / 8. Physician’s Name (PRINT) / Signature Phone Number Duty Status Report Revised: August 15, 2014 End of Document