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I admit I'm a young manager in a busy blue-collar industry. But I expect my workers to come back to work as soon as possible after an injury. Others tell me to save my energy and write them off as early retirees on disability. Is there an industry standard on this?

There is a unique blending here between industrial business and health care. Injury or chronic pain can lead to reduced physical capacity and long-term disability.

For a long time, our country has supported work disability benefit programs. Generous early retirement packages almost put an end to workers returning to the job.

But the discovery of a new approach using a functional restoration program has brought many changes in the past 20 years. Researchers published the results of a landmark study in 1985 that changed how chronic pain is viewed in the work place. This new approach focused on rehab activities that simulated the work environment.

Workers were given specific exercises and tasks to do that would prepare them for an eventual return to their former jobs. This type of exercise was called work hardening.

Employers were aware of the high cost of retraining staff and became more willing to take back previously injured workers. They discovered that even working part-time with a reduced load, having their former employees back improved productivity and saved money.

It sounds like you are right in step with today's knowledge of injury and disability. Injury prevention is the first step and the key to the success of any industrial business. But once injury occurs, patient education is equally important. Return to work is not only possible for most workers, it is the goal.

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