Rank: Forum user 
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Hi All,
Just wondering what other peoples experience of FIT note are and how other companies approach trying to get employees back to work after accident. We have had an accident, appears very minor, however employee has taken approx 10 days lost time. We have had him independently assessed by our occupational health advisors (Nurse), who have stated he is fit to return at very least on light duties. We have reported this under RIDDOR, our 1st RIDDOR this year.
As a team we are very disappointed about this and don't feel this should have been a lost time. However th IPs doctor has signed him as not fit, which i can understand but surely the employee could return to work to complete admin tasks like reviewing risk assessments, e-learning, advising on SOPs, etc. Why do they never tick the 'may return to work' section? We have worked very hard to reduce incident rate and lost time incidents but one very dubious incident has resulted in RIDDOR incident and lost time currently at 10 days and rising.
If the employee decides they want time of it appears as employers we are powerless to reduce the impact to us. As the doctor has only ticked the cannot return to work section of the form we cannot do anything even though our OHN believes he is fit to return. How to other people deal with these cases, any advice??
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Rank: Super forum user
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Hi Safetyman - I understand how a seemingly "simple" incident can escalate into a time off etc, but my sympathies are also with your employee who has had to suffer the pain and the inability to work - as deemed by a medical professional.
You write "but surely the employee could return to work to complete admin tasks like reviewing risk assessments, e-learning, advising on SOPs, etc". Now f this is part of your employees normal duties for the majority of his working time then fine - if not then it is still RIDDOR reportable even if he is at work doing this for you.
More worrying to me is your statement - " our 1st RIDDOR this year". Correct me if Im wrong, but I oick up an undertone that suggests you are expecting others?
Learn from the incident at hand and stop recurrence and move on. Sometimes you need to take these things on the chin.
David
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Rank: Super forum user
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I was not going to comment on this topic as it seems to be rather bias. You seem to be more concerned with keeping a clean sheet than doing something about the cause of the accident, just simply keping RIDDORs out of the system seems to be more about meeting unrealistic targets than keeping your employees safe. You have gone to the occupational nurse (who is less qualified than the doctor and paid by your company) to get a possibly one sided opinion. Is there any reason to discount the doctors view? Have you got any firm information to support what you claim to be simply dodging the work you whant done or possibly because your company dont care that much about the welfare of your employees? Face the fact that a medically qualified person has deemed your employee as infit for work and accept it by carrying out an investigation into the accident and put things in place to prevent it happening again just like a safety professional should do.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi, thanks for the reply. I think this may have come across wrongly in my posting. We have investigated the incident, we have implemented control measures and we certainly take any issue effecting employees welfare seriously. However we are in a difficult condition at site were we are trying to make numerous big steps from a poor performing site with poor risk management to proactive well performing site. Unfort i can't say hand on heart i would not expect another RIDDOR this year and that is because i know we have must more work to do to improve. We are trying to improve our performance, trying to raise awareness and there is alot of hard work involved. I cannot go into much detail about this incident but it is a dubious incident and the extent of the injury seems extreme. The OHN is paid for by us but is certainly not influenced at all. At no time did we or would we ask her to provide any false information over an employees condition to suit us. We spend alot of money every year providing health intiviates and Surveillance for our staff. Maybe you guys are lucky not to have come across employees that know the system and how to abuse it but unfort at our site & in previous employment i have had some people that will take advantage of very minor incidents to get time of work and the associated claim. I think some of the comments are quite harsh to be honest. I'm working very hard to improve performance at the site and you seem to be stating that i'm a poor safety professional because i don't beleive an accident we had should not have been a RIDDOR. Thanks for your time.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I shall be brief (Me brief!!!) If you read the DWP guidance to the Med3, you will see that you are not bound by the advice on the Med3. If mutually agreeable arrangements can be put in place for the IP to return to work in some capacity then they may do so even if the have a 'sick note'. The DWP guidance also says that concerns about ELI shouldn't prevent a person returning to work before the end of their 'sick' note.
We have had quite a few 'may be fit' notes and we have almost invariably been able to make the necessary arrangements to get people back to work in some capacity.
Of course, even of the IP did return on light duties, it would still be reportable under RIDDOR?!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Safetyman you have my sympathies but the the doc says unfit. So the only sensible is to get on with it.
Steve
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Rank: Super forum user
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Mutually acceptable means the employee also has to want a return.
It seems the IP worked for a company with a previous poor accident record, whose employers do not believe the employee is unfit for work, and whose employers do not even believe the employee had a reportable accident (in their eyes)
And you wonder why he/she is not back at work.
Maybe the DOCTOR has been told by the IP that he/she is under a good deal of stress (etc)
The OccH nurse is aware of which side her/his bread is buttered, and who butters it.
Next thing you'll want flu victims at work, and doubtless issue them masks and paracetamol.
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Rank: Super forum user
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As a Health & Safety Practitioner, I would be more guided by the advice from the referral to Occupational Health Service provider than a GP's note.
Let us not forget that all occupational health professionals are bound by their professional body codes of practice and are supposed to provide independent impartial advice and not which side of the bread is buttered.
If this lost time accident is a major issue, your HR department/ line manager of the IP should be involved.
We do not know the details of the accident/injury.
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Rank: Forum user
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Actually I am with SafetyMan on this one. Not for a moment do I believe you came across as unprofessional or planning to have more RIDDORS this year just because you said "this is our first RIDDOR" - in fact from what you have said I think you come across as a good safety guy. I know how you feel because I have had to deal with people like this, sometimes the most stupid accidents that really don't grant even a day away from work turn into reportables with many days away from work. Sometimes just after they have been refused holidays - interesting eh? Yet again some accidents where you can really see that the person could get signed off by the doctor, the employee just gets on with it and carries on. I don't have any problems reporting under RIDDOR but in all honesty, it is very annoying when you can clearly see when some one is pulling the wool over your eyes. And I'm sorry but I know there are a few very unprofessional GPs too.
For this type of people, from experience, even if the fit note says "maybe fit for work" it wont matter, they wont come. I have tried all sorts to help the "IP" to return to work and they always seem uninterested. My advice is just keep doing what you are doing and ensure you document EVERYTHING for when the claim lands on your desk. Hopefully you'll be able to fight those unscrupulous ones.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I would be more worried about loss of production and the welfare of the IP than the nuisance of having to report under RIDDOR.
You seem to have the investigation and controls sewn up, look at your HR policy and your 'back to work' arrangements for the rest.
many organisations have appropriate sick policies that can(and do) issue sick warnings at certain trigger points.
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