Employers can play a key role in helping employees with TBI successfully return to work. Employers can also lower the risk for TBI among employees and employees’ families by offering safety initiatives. Here are some tips to manage and prevent brain injury in your workforce.

1. Be accommodating.
Not all TBIs are the same, and the return-to-work rate for people with TBI varies widely. Employers can help workers with TBI successfully return to work by supporting accommodations, including:

• Flexible scheduling and allow longer or more frequent work breaks
• Use of supportive employment and job coaches
• Job-sharing opportunities
• Part-time work schedules
• Reduced distractions in the work area, including clutter in the employee’s work environment
• Space enclosures or a private office
• White noise or environmental sound machines
• Encouraging focus on one task at a time

For more workplace tips, visit the America’s Heroes at Work website.

2. Understand the ADA.
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not specifically mention traumatic brain injury, employees with TBI may be considered to have a disability, making them eligible for job accommodations under the ADA.

For more information about how to determine whether a person has a disability under the ADA, read Facts About the Americans with Disabilities Act.

3. Protect kids’ noggins.
Children under the age 14 account for the most emergency department visits for TBI. Educate your employees about the importance of bicycle helmets and seat belt use. Make this helmet-fitting guide and these other prevention tips available to employees.

4. Help kids play safe.
Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat nearly 175,000 sports- and recreation-related TBI in kids and teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Educate parents about concussion in youth sports and how to respond to concussion or suspected brain injury. Visit the CDC’s Heads Up website for materials and tools, including fact sheets and posters.

5. Use an app.
A number of new smart phone “apps” are emerging to help prevent and manage TBI. Brainline.org compiled a list of the best apps for people living with TBI. A concussion app can help parents and coaches determine if a child or teen has suffered a brain injury and then respond appropriately. Because concussion often goes undiagnosed, the Department of Defense has created a mobile pocket guide to help providers evaluate concussion. Add the apps to your TBI toolkit or feature them in a “healthy app of the month” eblast to employees.