Return To Work Policy

POLICY No: 9
POLICY: Return to Work and Reinstatement to Service
Effective: January 1, 2007
Reviewed: December 31, 2013
Revised: January 1, 2014; August 1, 2009

POLICY REGARDING PROCEDURE FOR RETURN-TO-WORK PHYSICALS
AND
REINSTATEMENT TO SERVICE

I. All employees must be referred to the Human Resources Department for a Return to Work Physical Examination Request in each of the following instances:

A. If the employee is returning to service after an absence of thirty days or more (other than vacation); or
B. If the employee has suffered an on-duty injury
C. If the employee has undergone surgery or a medical operation; or
D. If the employee has been hospitalized for any reason; or
E. If the employee has suffered an off-duty injury

II. Employees may be referred to the Human Resources Department for a Return to Work Physical Examination Request at the Company’s discretion in the following instances:

A. If the employee is returning to service after an absence related to use of the Company’s EAP program, or:
B. If the employee is returning to service after starting treatment with prescription medications, or:
C. In any other situation where, in the opinion of the BRC’s duly authorized management employees or officers, the particular facts of an employee’s situation suggest that a Return to Work Physical Examination may be necessary or beneficial

Upon completion of the required medical examination, the Clinic will inform the Human Resources Department whether the employee is released to perform his free and unrestricted duties. The Human Resources Department will then inform the appropriate Department as to the employee’s return-to-work status.

Also, all employees returning to service who have been off duty due to medical/physical reasons will be required to furnish the Human Resources Department their doctor’s statement in the form of our Return to Work Doctor’s Report to the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago. When an employee under your jurisdiction has been absent from duty under circumstances which will require the completion of this form, arrange to mail a copy of the form to the employee before their return to duty. This will avoid the inconvenience of the employee making an unnecessary second appointment with their personal physician for the sole purpose of completing our form.

III. In addition to the above, all employees returning to duty after an absence of 90 days must successfully complete the reinstatement process outlined below before being referred to the Human Resources Department for the scheduling of the return-to-work physical exam.

A. The Department Head must meet with the employee in a counseling session to discuss all relevant aspects of the employee’s reassuming duty and any guidance items which may be appropriate. The results of this session shall be communicated in writing to the Human Resource and filed in the employee’s personnel file.
B. The employee shall be referred to his/her Department Head for all necessary rules examination and proficiency testing required to establish the employee’s qualification to work in his/her craft or class of work. The results of this testing shall be communicated in writing to the Human Resources Department and filed in the employee’s personnel file.

The above-mentioned situations and criteria should not be regarded as a comprehensive list of situations requiring a Return to Work physical. The Company reserves the right to require a Return to Work physical or any other examinations it deems necessary for any employee in connection with any absence.