Help regarding injury and future

[amaru]

Hello this is a bit long sorry. First off i am an reserve postie in a small office of 13/14. I had an accident back in 2010 where i hurt my back and was off work for about 5 week. Upon returning to work i was told i would get a trolley to help me take weight off shoulder and surpise surprise no trolley. Anyway after constant asking and no answer i just tried to do best i can and take painkillers.

After a few weeks i was told i had a prolapsed lumber disc and it is pressing against nerves. I told my manager and requested a trolley and as usual i was told yes but never got it.

Fast forward a year and still no trolley and it got to point where my back was killing me and affecting my walking. I went to the hospital for a steriod injection and my body rejected it and i have been off for a few months. Atos have been involved all the way but not much use as they keep saying have another phone call every 6 or so weeks. Now i have been diagnosed with degenerative joint disease, same disc is still prolapsed and onset of degenerative disc disease which is a life long disease which will only get worse with age.

So question is now i have be diagnosed with these conditions what will be likely outcome with regards to do deliveries? I have read all sorts from ihr to equality act and so on. I have only been with rm for just under 2 years.

Thanks for reading.

[Red Robbo]

If you put your accident on ERICA join the Union,see your local rep, put a claim in for accident at work and ask for assistance with your rehabilitation.

[amaru]

Accident was reported to manager who says he recorded accident and to be fair I have never recieved a stage warning for absences regarding injury. I am in the union.

To be honest I am not interested in claiming compo unless they try to dismiss me. Rehab is main question I have. At the moment I find it hard to stand, sit and walk without being in pain. I am on declofencac (sp) but I think my body getting used to them as pain don't go away as much now.

So I am unsure on what I can do at moment and it is boring not doing anything.

[mazza111]

Trying not to give medical advice but diclofenac aren't really affective as a painkiller, they are an anti inflammitory drug and you could be using painkillers along side them.

As you can't do much atm, are you looking to get back to work in some capacity within RM? If so what time scale are you looking at. I don't mean to sound harsh, these are the kind of things they will be looking at. You should be looking at them too, do you really want to make your back condition worse?

You should also make a claim for industrial injuries benefit. My manager didn't record my accident (I was a newbie and didn't know any better) and should have fought it at the time, but being new I didn't want to create trouble. However, DWP looked at my sick record and what I was absent with and made a decision that it was an industrial injury. Not bad enough at the time to get any money for it, but if it worsens then they can see that I've made a previous claim.



The best piece of advice I can give you, is to go back to your GP and get something for the pain. Even if it's a low dose of cocodamol it may help you with the pain you're in at the moment, these can be taken along with diclofenac

[amaru]

Thanks for reply. I was given tablets before they knew extent of damage and was given for the prolapsed disc. I have filled in one of those forms at end of last year but I stated it was prolapsed disc. I got another one today as I now have full diagnosis, so will send it off.

I understand what you mean by going back too soon. Can't stand being stuck at home as it becoming depressing not being able to do anything. As I said in last post I can't move that well so was unsure if anything rm could find me. I have been off just over 6 month now with doctor giving me another 2 month.

There must come a time when rm think enough is enough and try to get rid. Can they just dismiss me on capability grounds? As I only been there just shy of 2 year, or will they try to ihr me?

Thanks again for replies

[POSTMAN]

Accident was reported to manager who says he recorded accident

What do you mean he recorded it,you should of been there and went through it with him,did that happen?

[mazza111]

Sounds like another "going to" manager doesn't it Postman.


I don't imagine RM will want to keep you longer than need be tbh. They may be more careful with it being an accident. Then again, maybe not. There aren't many jobs within the business you would be able to do. In my position (knees) i was able to do the locker, but can't imagine having to do that with a bad back of any sort. It can still be heavy work with a lot of bending.

As for office jobs, they are few and far between, but don't give up hope, maybe it's better in your area.

What have ATOS suggested? What has your doctor suggested?

[amaru]

If I was supposed to be there when it is reported then no I was not. I had only been there 3/4 month so took it as he would sort it out. I still have text messages confirming it has been reported in accident system.

I also have all text messages from manager regarding getting me a trolley then sending me to a new office with hills galore. I argued and got sent back to regular place but still no trolley. Don't know if it makes a difference but I am under SPDO side of rm.

Regarding working in the office, I doubt that'll happen. When I was still at work we would see manager once every few week. We was/are left on our own.

As previously stated Atos keep saying I am unfit for any work and to report to my manager with any update from hospital. Then I get referred back to Atos and round and round I go. Now I have a final diagnosis I have contacted my manager and I am awaiting atos appointment. My doctor also states I am unfit for any type of work.

Getting a bit worried now as I don't want to lose job with my problem as finding another job will be hard. Also I am due to go half pay in 2 week (for some reason half pay will kick in at 7 months). Does everyone go on to half pay? Even though it was an accident at work?

Thanks again for replies. Sorry my reply is long.

[mazza111]

Don't know about the half pay thing, I never had any time off with my knees (apart from a couple of days)

I'm sorry if I sound harsh in my posts, i tend to look on the worse case scenario.

Do you think you will manage a duty even with a trolley? What other damage could that do to your back? As you say, it's a degenerative condition, which is only going to get worse. If it was me I'd be looking at the long term implications, your health is more important than RM.

[amaru]

No you don't sound harsh. I really don't know if I would be able to manage with a trolley. will have to wait and see what atos recommend. You are right about health being most important, what I don't want to do is go back to work and last a few days then back off again.

Guess I am just trying to see what is the worse case scenario and what rm might do.
Being here just under 2 year is what worries me. I am on rolling 3/6 month contracts.

[POSTMAN]

You need to sort your pay out,see the link below and have a look at the PDF I posted...
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 95#p397191" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You need to register your accident as an industrial injury with the DWP and you will then get a further 6 months full sick pay...
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 28&t=32081" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While it may be possible for you to claim disability benefit,the main point to do the above is to get the extra 6 months sick pay,contact HR and your manager and tell them what you are doing.
The DWP will contact your office to confirm you had an accident so make sure the details and addresses are correct.
You will then need to send the letter that the DWP sends you confirming your industrial injury to your manager,who will then send it off to HR.

[mazza111]

Think as always worse case scenario would be IHR (lump sum) meaning that you are able to obtain other work. However, with a condition like yours I would tend to fight it as you will be very limited IF you can do any work at all. Maybe one of the top bods can tell you how it affects you having only been there for 2 years. Not sure when IHR kicks in. Thought it was after a year of Perm contract, but I'm sure someone will set me right. If you look at the downloads section and have a read of the IHR doc it should explain things. Sorry got a bunch of kids here atm and they are a pain in the arse, so can't do the digging for you :)

[amaru]

I have filled industrial injuries form and sent it off today. Will take a look at sorting pay out in a minute and will contact manager/hr to see if recorded accident aswell. thanks postman.

mazza thanks for your help i will go through download section after i read about pay. As far as ihr is i believe it does kick in after 1yr service but as you say my prospects of finding another job is slim. Only good thing at moment regarding ihr is the money but that wont last very long at all. As we all know rm don't always follow guidelines that is why i ask about worse case scenario.

Thanks for replies and help. Time to go reading

[billyboy123]

would seem to me u need some legal advise in regards to ur manager and royal mails failure in their duty of care towards you my friend

[amaru]

Quick update. I have not heard anything about setting up an atos appointment which seems odd. Every other time i have updated them on my condition the appointment as been made same day. Now i have a full diagnosis everyone seems to be quiet. Trip to union rep on monday i think.

Would it be HR i contact about seeing if manager reported it in ERICA and RIDDOR (don't know if applicable). Another problem i have or they have is that i have no idea who my manager is, they are always changing manager. We can go weeks without seeing a manager. My manager as not contacted me once in the six(ish) months i have been off. It is always the person below him that i have contact with.

POSTMAN - after reading that form about 12 month pay. Can i still apply now or will i have to wait for industrial disablement to respond? it looks unclear if i can or not.

Thank you all forr helping.