 Formal audits are useful for larger organisations. Formal audits make use of an auditing tool / program, for example the internationally recognised CBDMA.
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The Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA) is a well regarded internationally used tool that can be used by organisations as:
| • | An evaluative tool, to determine current disability management program performance; |
| • | A corrective tool, to establish where program deficiencies are, highlighting remedial actions required; and |
| • | A program promotion tool, foregrounding disability management concepts for workers and demonstrating management's commitment to best practice. |
Data is collected with three distinct question types: consensus questions, evidence questions, and survey or interview questions.
1. Consensus:
| • | Consensus questions are collaborative and subjective in nature, and aimed at teasing out information – like employee beliefs and opinions – that numerical data cannot represent. There are 84 consensus questions and they are answered as a group, during a meeting of equal numbers of management and worker representatives. Participants are expected to reach some agreement on how to respond to each of these questions. The auditor convenes the meeting, asks the questions and acts as a facilitator. |
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2. Evidence
| • | Evidence questions are answered by the auditors only and provide a more objective approach to the analysis. They examine the actual disability management practices and procedures used in the workplace. |
| • | Evidence questions are about fact-finding. The auditors look at workplace policy and procedure documents, case files, and other pertinent documentation. There are 85 evidence questions in the audit. |
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3. Survey / Interview
| • | Auditors use survey/interview questions to gather data from individual workers and managers. These questions assist the auditor to assess the employees' and managers' perceptions of the workplace's disability management approach. There are 11 survey/interview questions in the audit and a representative sample of the workforce provides input. |
| • | Using the data collected via these three methods, employer strengths and weaknesses are identified, analysed and reported. |
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The organisation is then provided with a list of clear, ‘next-step’ recommendations on how to improve injury management outcomes.
Further information can be found here.
