Special Topics in Safety Management

The Case of the Color-blind Electrician: Sleuthing Out Safe Disability Accommodations

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers have to provide reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities—but what about cases where the worker’s disability affects his safety or the safety of others? Are there really reasonable accommodations that can solve these vexing cases?

Some disabilities are commonly believed to disqualify workers from performing certain jobs for safety reasons—but what if they don’t? A little sleuthing might give you a workable answer.

The case of the color-blind electrician. For their own safety and the safety of others, electricians must be able to accurately identify color-coded cables and wires, in variable lighting conditions. Therefore, a person who is color-blind cannot be an electrician. Right?

Here’s a clue. Color-blind electricians do exist. They use inexpensive color filters to help them distinguish different-colored wires.


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The case of the epileptic roofer? Working at an elevation places any worker at risk; a worker who has a seizure could be a risk to himself and others. In Alaska, an epileptic roofer was killed when he fell 16 feet from a sloped roof. Clearly, roofing work and epilepsy don’t mix. Right?

Here’s a clue. The epileptic worker who fell from the roof when he had a seizure was not wearing required personal fall protection that would have saved his life. Sometimes compliance with applicable regulations for all workers is all that’s required for your more vulnerable workers, too.


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The case of the diabetic lineman. Insulin-dependent diabetics who have trouble controlling their blood sugar levels may experience weakness, trembling, and changes in consciousness when their blood sugar drops too low. In one case, a diabetic telephone repairman who experienced an episode of low blood sugar was sent home from work because he was too shaky to safely climb poles. Does he need to get into another line of work?

Here’s a clue: Anyone with a medical condition may go through periods of change, when the condition is less well controlled. As long as he or she was able to self-monitor, as a diabetic can monitor his or her blood sugar, and identify situations in which the person should go to the doctor instead of going to work, he or she may be able to continue safely in the job. In the case described above, although the worker was sent home that day, he was able to work safely once his blood sugar was under control.

Don’t Be Too Quick to Judge

There are fewer circumstances than you might think in which an individual is actually precluded from doing a job because of his or her disabling condition. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how you can determine what those jobs and conditions might be.

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