Work-Related
Injuries/Diseases and
Workers' Compensation
October 29, 2007
MEMORANDUM
To:
Deans, Directors, Department Heads and Officers of Administration
From:
Michelle Gillette,
Campus Claims Manager
Re:
Work-Related Injuries/Diseases and Workers’ Compensation
Please
review the following information about work-related injuries/diseases
and
workers’ compensation. It is important
that this memo be forwarded to all employees who act in a supervisory
capacity,
including those who may supervise or oversee the work of Graduate
Teaching Fellows
and student employees.
Injury/Disease
Reporting
- Supervisors
need to inform their employees to report all injuries/diseases
immediately and
no later than the end of the working day.
- Once
an injury/disease has been reported, the Supervisor’s
Accident Investigation Report (SAIR) must be completed by the
supervisor
and injured employee. The supervisor is
then responsible to forward the SAIR to Environmental Health &
Safety (EHS)
within 24 hours.
- If
an employee seeks medical treatment,
the Workers’
Compensation Claim Form
(801) must also be completed
and sent or faxed to EHS within 24 hours.
- The
supervisor or other designated person in the department will complete
the
“Employer” section of the 801 and the
employee will complete the “Worker” section.
- Oregon law requires employers
to report
any accident requiring hospitalization or resulting in a fatality to
the
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
Therefore, these accidents must immediately
be reported to EHS and the Department of Public Safety.
EHS will notify OSHA.
Workers’
Compensation Coverage
- University of Oregon employees are covered
by workers’
compensation insurance when they suffer a compensable injury/disease in
the
course and scope of employment.
- SAIF
Corporation (SAIF) is the University’s workers’ compensation insurance
carrier. SAIF will determine the
compensability of all claims.
- Workers’
compensation coverage at the University does not extend to the general
student
population, visitors, temporary agency employees, volunteers and
faculty on a
courtesy appointment. EHS must be
notified of any injury to a temporary agency employee working for the
University.
Graduate Teaching
Fellows and
Student Employees
- Graduate
Teaching Fellows and student employees who are injured while performing
duties
in the course and scope of their employment are covered by workers’
compensation insurance. As such, the
same policies and procedures must be followe
- If
treatment is sought at the University Health
Center
or with another medical provider, the 801
must be completed.
Return-to-Wor
- An
employee who is missing time from work or released to work with
restriction(s),
must provide written documentation from his/her physician regarding
his/her
ability to work. The Employee Status Report (ESR)
form should
be used for this purpose. Whenever
possible, supervisors will provide work for employees who are
recovering from work-related
injuries/diseases and released to work with temporary restrictions
(this is
called transitional or modified work).
- The Modified Work Job
Offer Letter form
needs to be completed by the supervisor when an employee returns to
transitional
or modified work.
Employer-at-Injury
Program (EAIP)
- The
EAIP, a program of the Department of Consumer and Business Services,
may
reimburse the University for some wages paid to an injured employee
and/or for the
purchase of equipment necessary for transitional or modified work. To be eligible, the workers’ compensation
claim must be accepted, the employee must be released to work with
restrictions
and performing transitional or modified work.
Time Loss Payments and
Overpayments
- An
employee who files a workers’ compensation claim and is not able to
work, may
receive compensation for lost work time from SAIF.
Any
employee who receives a time loss payment(s), in addition to the
payment of
wages/salary (usually in the form of accrued leave) from the
University, will
be overpaid. Payroll will deduct the
overpayment from the employee’s earnings and credit leave accruals,
when
applicable.
I am available to answer questions about
work-related
injuries/diseases and workers’ compensation coverage.
Additional information and forms can be accessed
from the EHS
website at http://oehs.uoregon.edu/workerscomp/.
