Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene
50
Appendix F: State participation in financing workplace
modifications for the disabled employee – on behalf of the
Ministry of Economy. Field stories
1 No need to bend anymore
One of the impressive machines at the “Mevo kitchens” factory in Kyriat Gat, was actually
purchased as a modification for a disabled employee, with assistance from the office for
the Integration of People with Disabilities into the Workforce.
Kuty Cohen, brother of Yoni the site manager, was injured in his back during his army service
by lifting heavy weight. After his release from the army, Kuty started working in the family’s
factory, but after a year of hard work he realized that he could not continue working because
of his back injury, as this work involved lifting of heavy pallets of wood.
One day Kuty received a leaflet with information of his rights as IDF invalid. The leaflet read
that the Ministry of Economy (then Industry, Trade and Labor) assisted disabled people to
integrate into the labor market. Yoni realized that the equipment that would help his brother
continue working in the family’s factory is a jack that would lift the wooden pallets and
transfer them to his workstation, instead of Kuty carrying them himself.
“I saw something like that in a tradeshow overseas, which is based on a technology of
creating vacuum between the jack’s arm and the heavy wooden plate and an automatic
transfer of the plate from one place to another”.
Yoni describes the modification that was purchased for his brother as “nice and simple
technique”.
“I always loved the carpentry field. It is a form of art” says Kuty. “But after a year of working
here, I felt I could not do it anymore and that it is too much for my back. That is when the
thought of the jack came up, but honestly, at first I could not believe this can happen here
as well”.
The cost of the special machine: 43,000NIS out of which the state covered the maximum
possible with accordance to the regulations in sum of 19,000NIS.
Though the jack was purchased for Kuty, it is actually available for all employees, as for
them this jack reduces the risk for future physical damage. Yoni says that a significant
percentage of carpentries workers suffer from disc eruption and yet people are unaware
of this problem. Moreover, Yoni says that thanks to the jack he can hire more employees
with physical disabilities, such as back injuries. “It is a modification that already exists and
can serve them too, so why not hiring more personnel” explains Yoni.
“Thanks to this solution which will follow us everywhere, the jack, nothing limits me in my
