About this Bendigo Regional HR Network Event
If you are a small business operator – or even if you operate a large business – you will know that workplace health and safety, employee well-being and return to work are complex areas. It can be difficult to know what the most appropriate approach is when an employee’s health affects their ability to work and perform their role.
At this informative and practical session, mlcoa’s Victorian General Manager, Kylie Menz, and Occupational Physician, Dr Simone Ryan, will help you to understand your obligations and responsibilities around fitness for duty (FFD) assessments and provide advice on how to respectfully approach situations such as:
- an employee who is not meeting performance or productivity levels
- an employee who is having treatment for an illness or injury (eg. cancer or an old football injury)
- the need to assess whether an employee is fit to engage in a performance management process
- assessing a role associated with commercial risk and a duty of care (eg. driving or hazardous material management)
A FFD assessment can assist an employer to:
- confirm the existence of a medical condition which may be impacting on their employee’s ongoing ability to safely perform the duties of their role
- determine whether it is medically safe for an employee to return to work following illness or injury
- understand the impact of a medical condition and/or treatment on an employee’s ability to perform their role
- have clarification on what restrictions/modifications are required to enable the employee to continue at work in a safe and productive manner
- uphold their duty of care and protect their business when difficult situations arise
An FFD may also be used as needed following an employee’s leave of absence or in the situation where a post-employment offer or pre-employment medical screening is required.
Presenter Profiles
Kylie Menz – General Manager Victoria, mlcoa
Kylie’s 20 years of experience in this area includes leading management roles at the TAC and WorkSafe Victoria. In recent times, Kylie managed a preventative health business which provides health management programs to privately-insured clients with chronic disease and acute complex care requirements.
Dr Simone Ryan – Occupational Physician, mlcoa
Simone is a well-respected Consultant Occupational Physician with experience in general occupational medicine. In the past Simone has been responsible for developing policy, standards and procedures, conducting ongoing risk assessments, and continuously monitoring the improvement of health, safety and wellbeing programs in large organisations. Simone currently holds permanent impairment accreditations and conducts medico-legal assessments across various states in Australia.
