CIEE Return-to-Work & Accommodation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A job task analysis for return-to-work should document essential functions separately from marginal functions because:
- Marginal functions must always be eliminated for injured workers
- An employer must accommodate an employee who cannot perform marginal but can perform essential functions (Correct answer)
- OSHA requires separate documentation for legal compliance
- Essential functions are performed less frequently and are therefore safer
Correct answer: An employer must accommodate an employee who cannot perform marginal but can perform essential functions
Under the ADA, an employer cannot deny return-to-work solely because a worker cannot perform marginal job functions.
Question 2: An ergonomic evaluator is reviewing a sit-stand workstation trial for a worker with chronic low back pain. The MOST important outcome measure during the trial is:
- The worker's subjective aesthetic preference for the workstation
- Changes in reported pain levels and sustained posture quality throughout the shift (Correct answer)
- The cost savings compared to the previous workstation
- Speed of task completion compared to co-workers
Correct answer: Changes in reported pain levels and sustained posture quality throughout the shift
Monitoring pain levels and posture quality validates whether the sit-stand option effectively reduces lumbar loading for that individual.
Question 3: Under FMLA, intermittent leave for a chronic ergonomic condition (e.g., recurring tendinitis) requires:
- A new medical certification every time leave is taken
- Medical certification documenting the need for episodic leave and expected frequency (Correct answer)
- Employer approval each individual episode before leave can start
- Advance notice of exactly 30 days before each absence
Correct answer: Medical certification documenting the need for episodic leave and expected frequency
FMLA intermittent leave requires one medical certification describing the condition, its flare-up frequency, and expected duration of episodes.
Question 4: Which approach BEST supports a durable return to work for a nurse aide with a rotator cuff strain?
- Immediately returning to full patient transfer duties upon physician clearance
- Graded exposure program progressively increasing lifting demands while monitoring symptoms (Correct answer)
- Permanent reassignment to a non-clinical desk role
- Limiting the aide to paperwork only until retirement
Correct answer: Graded exposure program progressively increasing lifting demands while monitoring symptoms
Graded exposure systematically reintroduces physical demands, building tissue tolerance while monitoring symptom flare-ups.
Question 5: An ergonomic evaluator recommends anti-fatigue matting for a returning worker with plantar fasciitis who stands for 6+ hours daily. This is classified as what type of ergonomic control?
- Administrative control
- Engineering control (Correct answer)
- Personal protective equipment
- Elimination control
Correct answer: Engineering control
Anti-fatigue matting modifies the physical environment (the work surface), making it an engineering control.
Question 6: When a returning worker's medical restrictions conflict with the employer's production standards, the ergonomic evaluator's recommended path is to:
- Advise the employer to ignore the restrictions to maintain productivity
- Collaborate with medical, HR, and supervision to modify tasks within the restrictions (Correct answer)
- Recommend the worker resign until fully healed
- File an OSHA complaint against the employer immediately
Correct answer: Collaborate with medical, HR, and supervision to modify tasks within the restrictions
A collaborative team approach—including medical, HR, and operations—identifies modifications that honor restrictions while meeting business needs.
Question 7: Which tool is MOST useful for an ergonomic evaluator conducting a job match for a worker with a bilateral hand restriction?
- Borg RPE scale for aerobic exertion
- RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) or REBA to quantify upper limb risk (Correct answer)
- Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire for baseline symptom mapping
- Snook tables for manual materials handling limits
Correct answer: RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) or REBA to quantify upper limb risk
RULA/REBA quantify upper extremity posture and force demands, directly relevant to bilateral hand restriction job matching.
CIEE Return-to-Work & Accommodation 4
A job task analysis for return-to-work should document essential functions separately from marginal functions because: