Return to Work Story-Scotoma in a Commerical Driver
Posted by Sandy Goldstein on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 @ 07:11 AM
A recent entry by Jack Richman MD, CCBOM, FACOEM, FAADEP, CIME on the Work Fitness & Disability Roundtable reminds us of the dramatic difference that experience, individual circumstances, motivation and adaptation can make when determining fitness-for-duty and return-to-work decisions.
Dr. Richman's story highlights the fact that many workers with impairments that we may consider disabling are not to the experienced and well motivated worker who adapts well to their circumstances.
His particular story is about visual impairment. In Ontario where the doctor practices, in order to drive, the vision in the best eye need only be 20/40 and so an individual can be blind in the other eye and still drive.
Dr. Richman once passed a Driver Instructor to continue working where he instructed at a skid school for over 25 years. The worker had developed diabetic retinopathy and was 20/200 in both his eyes and he could only see shapes and images. The worker begged Dr. Richman to let him continue working.
Dr. Richman felt bad for the worker and said only if he went out with him on the skid school and saw him perform with Dr. Richman as the passenger. Dr. Richman stated that he was absolutely positive the worker could not do a specific maneuver which required that the worker immediately react at an intersection when a sudden spill of oil occurred and the car went into a rapid spin.
The instructor position requires that the worker demonstrate to the student how to steer and maneuver the vehicle using the right amount of steering and brake and come to a complete stop on a predetermined mark within a second or two.
Well, when the vehicle hit the oil slick, the worker did the 180 and then brought the vehicle right back to where he had to, within an inch of the required spot.
Dr. Richman summarized, "after I cleaned myself up, I passed him". He further explained, "I do remember the fear I experienced placing myself in the hands of a virtually blind driver. I then realized he had been doing this several times a day 5 days a week for over 25 years and it was nothing to him. I could not do it and I could see fine".
Dr. Richman points out that he often gives his patients a trial of work and then judges based on their work performance. He adds, "the great majority do well and remain good productive members of society -- better than being on a small disability pension".
Dr. Jack Richman works in Canada for AssessMed Inc.