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Osteoporosis, back pain and work
sparky
Member Posts: 1 Listener
Hi am 60 years old and have osteoporosis I currently have 7 fractures in my spine and in constant pain I am still working at the moment but for how long I don't know
Replies
Welcome to the online community. Have a look at the categories that are available at the moment and join the discussions
There is lots of information about working with a disability, This part in particular might be helpful.
I’m struggling with work due to my impairment. Does my employer have to help me?
Your employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled staff members. This duty aims, as far as reasonable, to ensure disabled employees have the same access to everything they need for doing and keeping their job as a non-disabled employee. These reasonable adjustments apply to physical features of the premises, or any other aspect of the role which causes a substantial disadvantage to you, the disabled employee, compared to a non-disabled employee.
Employers also have a duty to provide you with additional aids where this would reduce or remove a substantial disadvantage. This includes providing information in accessible formats, such as easy-to-read or large print.
Many adjustments can be made at low or no cost to your employer. There is help out there to assess what adjustments may be necessary for you to do your job. What is reasonable for your employer to do depends on the size and nature of the organisation.
The government's Access to Work scheme can provide practical advice and support to help you overcome work-related issues. It can also give you grants towards extra employment costs.
It’s important to note that your employer only has a duty to provide reasonable adjustments if they are aware of or should reasonably be expected to be aware of your impairment.
If your employer does not provide you with reasonable adjustments and you can show that they could have removed barriers, then you may be able to bring a claim against your employer via an employment tribunal.
Senior online community officer
A recent ruling has been made ( in a nutshell)
If a employee is off sick because of a disability and may need reasonable adjustments to be able to return to work then the employer is under no obligation to make those reasonable adjustments until a return to work date has been agreed with the employee.