Page | 21 Employees must exercise good judgment and take appropriate precautions in the performance of their work. Employees are responsible for complying with prescribed safety directives. Recklessness, laxity or carelessness will not be tolerated. When an injury or accident occurs while at work, it is the employee’s responsibility to immediately report it to his/her supervisor or other available management official who in turn will notify Risk Management or Human Resources of the incident. Failure to promptly report injuries and accidents is a serious matter that may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. An Employee Safety Policy Manual has been developed to implement, supplement and enforce the basic safety requirements. Every supervisor and department head is expected to use all means at his or her disposal to insure compliance with the Employee Safety Policy Manual. LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM 310 Light or modified duty is defined as temporary, limited-term assignments that do not require performance of the full range of duties associated with the employee’s regular job classification. The city’s temporary light duty program is restricted to those employees who have either have been injured during the performance of their duties with the City, or those employees that are temporary unable to perform the essential functions of their job due to pregnancy. Temporary lightduty assignments are a management prerogative and not an employee right. The availability of temporary lightduty assignments will be determined on a case-by-case basis, consistent with the operational needs of the Department and the employee’s ability to perform in a modified duty assignment given his/her knowledge, abilities, and medical limitations. Light duty assignments may include: • A reduction in the normal hours worked; • Limiting or altering duties in the employee's regular position; or • Temporarily reassigning the employee to other duties which he/she is qualified and capable to perform. An employee who is assigned to light duty shall not be assigned to any duties, even temporarily, that would require the employee to perform duties that are not within the restrictions placed by the physician or that could be considered the normal duties of the employee. The Human Resources Department is responsible for reviewing and approving all light duty assignments and will consider the nature of the restrictions/limitations relative to job content, work availability, workload demands, etc. in determining the practicality of light duty placement. If there are no meaningful tasks available that the injured employee is capable of performing, the injured employee will be sent home and will be subject to being called back should appropriate light duty become available. The department to which the injured employee is regularly assigned will have priority in utilizing the employee while he/she is in light duty status. If the department does not have appropriate light duty tasks available for the injured employee, the Human Resources Department will survey other departments to determine if they can use the injured employee on a light duty basis. Wage and benefit costs of the injured employee will continue to be paid by the division to which the injured employee is regularly assigned. It is the City’s policy to designate all occupational injuries or illnesses as FMLA Leave provided that basic eligibility requirements have been met (see FMLA Leave). Employee absences covered under FMLA leave cannot be required to accept light duty assignments. However, refusal to perform light duty assignments will result in the termination of workers compensation and injury leave benefits. The employee will also be required to use available sick leave and vacation leave to cover the absence.
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