This article discusses the limitations of the current work reinsertion pattern adopted by the National Social Security Institute (INSS) in its occupational rehabilitation program aimed at preparing workers to return to work after being on leave due to occupational illness or accident. These limitations are discussed regarding inadequate assessment of worker's disability and established disregard for the man-work relationship at the time workers return to their workplaces. We propose a model, which uses the International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health (ICF) as a reference to select biopsychosocial criterion to assess the rehabilitated workers' potentials, and Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) as an approach to adapt workplaces for the rehabilitated workers' return. ICF considers that disability is not an individual characteristic, but a set of conditions resulting from the person-environment interaction. EWA presumes that work is understood in its physical, cognitive, and organizational dimensions, and analyzed focusing on real activity. The proposal of this article is to narrow the gap between job demands and workers' potentials, viewing the reinsertion problem from a social standpoint.
ergonomics; rehabilitation; work reinsertion; disability
