How some employers use “light duty” to harass and embarrass their injured employees.
KSLA.com reports on a Walmart employee who was forced to sit in a bathroom for seven hours. He was placed on light duty after an on-the-job shoulder injury.
“I got hurt here and I’m disabled and they got mad, and so they told me I had to go sit in the bathroom all day.”
Walmart spokeswoman Katie Cody says, “He was asked to move from restroom to restroom to monitor and make sure they were tidy, because that is an area of customer service that can always been improved,” but confirmed that Walmart stores do not have bathroom attendants.
This article reminds us of what our clients experience. We have seen employers offer demeaning jobs to make people quit. Here is what you need to know about light duty work in Michigan.
Light duty work
This is work within a person’s capacity to perform that poses no danger to health and safety, and that is within a practical distance from home. It is not limited to jobs within a person’s qualifications and training.
A person must accept light duty or risk having their wage loss benefits forfeited. Job duties, location, and rate of pay must be defined. Workers compensation should make up any difference.
We tell our clients to try any light duty work if offered. A magistrate will decide if an employer is not playing by the rules.
Beware employers who want you to work in pain or beyond your restrictions. Call an experienced workers compensation lawyer if you feel your legal rights are being violated.
Michigan Workers Comp Lawyers never charges a fee to evaluate a case. We have represented injured and disabled workers exclusively for more than 35 years. Call (855) 221-2667 for a free consultation.
Related information:
Video: Injured at work? Advice from a Michigan workers comp lawyer
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons, by SmartSignBrooklyn.
