How to Manage COPD in the Workplace

“We know that people with COPD take more sick days and time off,” says Frank Sciurba, MD, medical director of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Most patients with advanced disease have had to give up their jobs, not only because of shortness of breath, but because they have flare-ups where they have to take time off of work, which disrupts their jobs.”

Although COPD can make working challenging, many people with COPD continue to work for financial reasons or simply because they enjoy their careers. 

Here’s what you need to know about managing COPD in the workplace, including how to talk to your employer about your condition, asking for reasonable COPD workplace accommodations, and what to do if you and your doctor decide it’s best for you to leave your job.

Evaluating Your Work Situation

If COPD is making it hard for you to work, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you to decide if your job is too strenuous or if your work environment affects your COPD.

“It’s a patient’s preference. However, it’s up to the doctor to support them if they’re suffering too much or their symptoms interfere with their ability to perform their job,” says Dr. Sciurba.

How to Ask for COPD Workplace Accommodations

• Rests during the day. This may include time away from your desk for oxygen therapy (if you have a prescription and can bring an oxygen tank into your workplace)

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• Rescheduled meetings
• Hazardous or labor-intensive tasks reassigned to coworkers or a different role at the company that doesn’t involve hazardous or labor-intensive tasks
• Flexibility around time off to allow you to see a doctor, attend visits for pulmonary rehabilitation, or simply to facilitate recovery
• An accessible parking space closer to the door
• A flexible work schedule or the ability to work from home
• A smoke-, dust-, and fume-free environment
• Advance notice of construction or cleaning near your workspace
• Approval to use a motorized scooter
• Job restructuring or reassignment to a vacant role in the company if your job requires significant manual labor or talking with clients, which can be taxing for people with COPD

“An employee should suggest possible accommodations that would address the problem. The individual should also be open to any suggestions the employer might offer,” says Sharon E. Rennert, senior attorney adviser for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), ADA Division. “Not everyone with COPD will need reasonable accommodations or the same reasonable accommodations.”

The good news: Advancements in COPD treatments, along with oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and social support, may help make it possible to stay in the workplace.

Managing COPD at Work

In addition to asking for accommodations from your employer, you can take steps to make working with COPD easier:

• Make time for fitness. One of the most important things you can do to continue working as long as possible is to stay active, says Sciurba. “If patients stay fit and manage their disease, they can be productive and continue to work.”
• Don’t skimp on care. While you might be tempted to skip doctor appointments or pulmonary rehabilitation sessions to avoid missing work, you’ll be better off in the long run if you take the time now to manage your disease. In pulmonary rehab, you’ll learn techniques to breathe more efficiently, how to use essential medications like long-acting inhalers, and other ways to optimize your health. “The disease will affect you less, so you can do your job,” says Sciurba.
• Apply breathing techniques. Before doing any potentially tiring activity, practice the pursed-lip or diaphragmatic breathing techniques that you learn in pulmonary rehab.

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  These breathing exercises can improve the amount of oxygen you have available for normal activities.
• Reassess your schedule. Schedule breaks between meetings as much as possible since talking can be tiring with breathing problems. Also, try to plan the most strenuous activities at a time of day when you have the most energy, or schedule a restful activity between strenuous ones. “Having some flexibility on a day-to-day basis helps, so if you have bad days, you can do something with less aerobic stimulus and stay engaged,” says Sciurba.
• Break big jobs into smaller steps. Figure out how much time you’ll need to complete a potentially tiring task, then spread the work over several days or several periods throughout the day. It might be necessary to adjust working hours or workload, according to a review.

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When Working With COPD Is Not Possible

If your COPD is severe and significantly disrupts or prevents you from doing your job, you can apply to be approved for COPD disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). Monthly SSA disability benefits can be used to pay for essentials, including rent, groceries, medical bills, medications, childcare, and specialized training if you wish to eventually return to work.

“We have to document lung function, and there has to be some degree of abnormality,” says Sciurba. “We look at whether people can perform to the level required in their job.”

Ask your doctor if your symptoms automatically qualify you for disability benefits. He or she can help complete the paperwork you’ll need for a strong application. You can apply online at the SSA website or at your local SSA branch.

The Takeaway

Some people with COPD may need to stop working, while others might wish to continue for financial or mental health reasons.

Those who continue should speak to their employers about workplace accommodations in their environment, schedule, and occupational health provisions because the ADA requires that employers avoid discriminating against people with disabling health problems who wish to continue working.

Those who need to stop work may be able to claim disability pay under the SSA, depending on the severity of their disease. If you have COPD, speak to a doctor about what’s next in your working life.