RETURNING TO WORK AMONG ACQUIRED DISABLED WORKERS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA: ISSUES RELATED TO OCCUPATIONAL ERGONOMICS

Abstract

Workers who suffered from injuries that caused by occupational ergonomics issues experience challenges to return to work. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of occupational injuries, particularly industrial accidents (IA) due to occupational ergonomics issues to the victims in the Return-to-work (RTW) Program based on their socio-occupational status, location of injuries, type of accidents and type of workers’ compensation claim to SOCSO. The data was obtained among workers who joined the RTW Program. As a result, it is found that the highest RTW rate were among male, Malays, who was married, and from Perak. The highest RTW rate based on location of injury were lower limb injuries, followed by upper limb and trunk and back in both Northern Region and entire Malaysia.  The main findings of this study provide signal to policymakers to look at issues related to industrial accidents in various sectors and may provide as preliminary empirical evidence for the management to mitigate occupational injuries risks among workers and controlling ergonomic hazards in the workplace.