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ADA

Smart pre-employment screening can cut cost of future injuries

11/01/2001
Woodbridge Corp., a manufacturer of foam padding, used a wrist test to help identify job applicants who might be susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome. If applicants’ test results were abnormal, Woodbridge …

Take Broad Look for ADA Accommodation

11/01/2001

Q. If we let some employees in a department return to work in a light-duty capacity, can we deny other employees that same option? We need to do this because the department no longer can operate properly with half its staff on medical leave or limited to light duty due to medical conditions. The union contract says that when an employee is eligible for medical leave, six months must pass before we may terminate the employee. —D.W., Illinois

Parent may take FMLA leave to care for grown children

10/01/2001
Gladys Navarro asked her employer, Pfizer Corp., for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave because she wanted to take care of her adult daughter who was ordered to bed rest …

Don’t set automatic deadline for workers returning from disability leave.

10/01/2001
Make sure your medical leave policy doesn’t automatically terminate employees after a certain number of days. Blood Systems Inc. recently agreed to pay 23 employees a total of $650,000 after the …

Test before deciding on employee’s limits

09/01/2001
Shirley Hoffman was a whiz at her indexing job at Caterpillar Inc. She moved faster than almost anyone, even though she was born without a left arm below the elbow. Several …

Once you accommodate disabled, proving ‘hardship’ gets tougher

09/01/2001
When Larry Skerski began working as a cable technician, about half his job involved climbing ladders, poles and towers. But a decade into his job, he developed a panic disorder when …

Small, but vital, function of a job may make it ‘essential’ under ADA

09/01/2001
Job descriptions at Northern States Power Co. make it an “essential function” for customer service reps to handle emergency calls like gas leaks and downed power lines. Loretta Emerson handled …

Supreme Court outlook: Key employment issues at stake

09/01/2001
Look for the U.S. Supreme Court to tackle several important business issues this fall, including what constitutes a disability and when a claim is officially filed. The court will open its …

Manager’s insubordination wins protection

08/01/2001
Jane Foster had a tough decision: Follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or follow her boss’s orders. She went with the ADA and got fired. But a court has ruled …

Disabled worker isn’t entitled to work-at-home accommodation

08/01/2001
Lynn Heaser blamed the air quality in her office at Toro for her health problems, which were diagnosed as everything from allergies to chemical sensitivities. She asked to work from …