Occupational safety and health advice

[Louise]

Going back a few months, I had to cover a cook who was off on a sick note for 2 weeks. Myself and another cook decided to cover 7 days each. Wasnt untill the 5th day I had problems with my right knee.
I am unsure if the new injury i felt at work, is related to an old injury I had back last year (I basically jumped/landed wrong on my bed, knee felt like it snapped.. excruciating pain for 20 mins or so, then managed to carry on, altho every time I bent down, the knee clicked.
Whilst doing this 7 days of work, each time i bent down the knee would click, & get more painfull.. I put off going to the Drs due to another member of staff being on long term sick leave, I didnt want to leave the kitchen in a mess, thus not putting my health first. Now ive gone to the Drs, I had one week sick leave, with Co-codamol - Which my body didnt agree with. I also had Xrays, which took 14 days to come back. ( I had returned to work for 7 days after my note expired) I didnt take the Co-codamol because it just felt like I was on a constant high, & didnt have proper control over myself. I went back to the Drs on Tuesday, and she has signed me off for another 2 weeks, with physio, and another drug to take... Its up to the physio to send me for an MRI scan, as it looks to be one of my ligaments that have gone (I can only walk so far without being is so much pain, I would change direction and id drop like a sack of spuds. Im pretty much a hazard in the kitchen at the moment) How ever, I phoned work explaining all this, and aprently Occupational health will be involved (I work for Hampshire CC) & this sounds pretty scarey to me... I do not want to loose my job, and half of me is wanting to only do half this sick note, and work the rest (My Head of Kitchen was pulled into an official meeting due to her having too much sick leave, with Drs note) & I dont want to go that route.... Am i worrying over nothing? Dose anyone know what the Occupational health will do? Ive never had a sick note, nor have i ever had more then 3 days off of work.

[yambabe]

First of all, if your doctor has signed you off for work until a certain date he/she has said you are not fit to work until that date and your employer shouldn't let you go back early even if you want to - this would be a clear breach of health and safety guidelines. If you do want to go back you need to go back to your doc and get another note with an earlier return date to supercede the first one.

Occupational Health basically will want to assess that, due to the nature of your injury, you can still perform your normal job to the standard that the job needs and without causing further injury to yourself! They sort of overlap physio to a degree and might give you exercises or perhaps some sort of support for your knee to stop it giving way.

If you standing/moving around in the kitchen is going to make things worse before you go for your scan and treatment then you probably shouldn't be doing it. Your bosses will want this checked out, partly because they will want you off for the least time possible I imagine but also cos they won't want to be held liable if you doing your job is going to make your knee worse.
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[Skudd]

You work for a council, you really need to cock up to be sacked. Take the six months of on full pay, then come back on reduced hours on full pay and tell everyone it is because you are over worked and that caused the injury, put a claim in and you will be fine.

I'm be slightly cynical, but it is only what I have seen done many many times in councils. OCCY health are there to help you against management. If all else fails, go off witrh stress and accuse someone/anyone of harrassment. Oh and I am being serious.
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[andym]

Not sure if it will be the same, but because of my heart condition I was told by the DVLA I was NOT allowed to drive buses until I had passed a physical exam.... first time I was off for about 4 months while they carried out their checks and there was a policy in place where after 2 weeks (then every 8 weeks after that, until you are well enough to go back or in my case after 6 months they sack you), you would be dragged in to see the company doctor (as your own doctor obviously doesn't know anything).

Basically they will ask you what the problem is, maybe do a couple of check ups (I had blood pressure done, she listened to my heart and lungs and had to take all my pills with me)... I went to the trouble of taking the hospital report too which stated that I'd had 5 stents fitted a couple of weeks before... so that helped too.

I wouldn't worry too much about it tbh, it's just like going to see your own doctor, and if there is anything you don't want the company to know then they won't tell them as there is still the confidentiality thing

[scorps]

Word for word what Skudd said.
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