Burn Injury

After the burn has healed, or has healed enough that your physician releases you to return to work, you must evaluate the viability of returning to your pre-injury job role. By this time, your physical and occupational therapy have been completed.

Return to Manual Work

If you previously worked in a manual labor position that involved exposure to sun or heat, your physician may not allow you to return to that work environment.

Most often, your doctor will caution you about exposure to sun or heat. Such exposure on a daily basis would not be allowed. Working indoors in environments such as a kitchen or workshop may also be prohibited, due to the heat typical in such a setting.

You must take caution to seek work in temperature controlled environments that do not cause you to sweat.

Return to Sedentary Work

Sedentary positions (i.e., clerical, administrative) are more physically appropriate for individuals who have sustained burn injuries.

It is important that the position require less energy than your pre-injury job. Your fatigue level may be greater now. Also, if the burn was a result of an electrical injury, you should be evaluated for any cognitive impairments (memory loss or concentration difficulty) prior to returning to work.