On June 27, an event was held in Berlin to celebrate the retirement of Prof. Dr. Joachim Breuer as Director General of the DGUV (Germany's national occupational accident insurer), and to acknowledge his 17 years of service in that role. Although this was a "retirement", it does not signify the "retirement" of Prof. Dr. Breuer who continues in a special consulting role with the DGUV and who is also now offering his expertise through a Professorship at the University of Luebeck. Prof. Dr. Breuer also continues in his capacity as President of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) of Geneva.

Wolfgang Zimmermann, Executive Director of NIDMAR, delivered the Keynote address at the special event which was attended by approximately 200 individuals from across the globe. In the photo from L to R Back Row: Edmund Cheong, Deputy Director of the SOCSO Rehabilitation center and Dr. Mohammed Azman, CEO of SOCSO Malaysia/ L to R Front Row: Wolfgang Zimmermann, Executive Director of NIDMAR and Prof. Dr. Joachim Breuer, Board Member of NIDMAR.

In an article written by Datuk Dr. Norma Mansor, emeritus professor and director, Social Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Malaya, she identifies that employment injuries and work related illnesses fall under the jurisdiction of the Social Security Organization (SOCSO), which adopted a case management strategy whereby every injured worker is assigned a case manager who will facilitate the intervention using a bio-psychosocial and multidisciplinary approach called the Return to Work program.

To provide quality services to its members, SOCSO's Return to Work case managers and employees dealing with Return to Work program-related matters are required to have professional certification in disability management practice: Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) and Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC).

SOCSO appointed the Social Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Malaya to create and become the Test Agency to manage and administer the CDMP and CRTWC examinations.

Following translation and ensuring Malaysian legislative content, the CDMP examination was offered in 2017 and 2018 to SOCSO employees and will be open to all in 2019.

Dr. Mansor identifies that the structured intervention of case manager has contributed to the success of the program and the resulting impact on the nation's economy, but more importantly, it is the impact on the individuals who are now able to get back into employment. She writes, "They are now able to earn and become an active member of society which contributes to their self-worth and dignity."

To read the full article, please click on the following link:

SOCSO Malaysia, the federal Social Security Organization, has signed an Agreement with the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), Malaysia's most advanced container terminal - a leading corporate organization, on disability management through the Return to Work and Back Injury Protection and Rehabilitation program.

Dato' Sri Dr. Mohammed Azman Bin Dato' Aziz Mohammed, SOCSO Chief Executive, said, "This will bring positive impact to PTP employees, as well as be a catalyst for other organizations to take the same path in making disability management a cultural practice and part of human resources."

PTP CEO Marco Neelsen said, "In PTP, we actively promote occupational safety policies, conduct safety health and campaigns to reduce accidents, as well as implement an employee wellness program to prevent mishaps to our workers and contractors."

To read the full article, please click on the following link: