Employees who are experiencing poor health, a family problem, or an injury should be able to seek advice, support and help from their employer’s occupational healthcare provider.
What is occupational health? How can it benefit you?
It is a branch of healthcare which focuses on the physical and psychological health of those who work in the workplace.
The goal of occupational health services is to prevent lost work hours, and injuries or illnesses related to the workplace. The occupational health professionals aim to achieve this by:
- Promoting and encouraging safe and healthy working practices such as healthy eating and drinking. For Water Coolers Wales, visit waterforyou.net/
- Promote ergonomics at work by implementing processes that will help you to perform better
- Monitoring the health of an employee’s workforce
- Helping to manage sick leave
- Help an employer improve health and safety compliance by helping to set policies
- Health assessments should be carried out prior to employment
- Encourage and support health education programmes
- Offer a advisory service to employees and counselling for problems that are not health related
- For example, you can provide your employer with information about the appropriate workplace adjustments for people returning to work following an illness or injury.
How can you get occupational health care?
It will be determined by the size of your organisation. Many professionals can offer occupational health expertise. These include a specialist nurse, a doctor, or one of the following:
Psychologists
Physiotherapists
Hygienists
Ergonomics Experts
Professional Occupational Therapists
Nurses and doctors with special training in occupational health
Common workplace hazards and their consequences
Occupational health and safety covers the safety, health and welfare of workers in every kind of role, from construction and healthcare to IT, sales, administration and teaching. Its aim is to protect people from work-related illness and injury, improve working conditions and help them perform well.
When safety is neglected, the consequences can be serious. Injuries range from sprains and broken bones to hearing loss, repetitive strain injuries, permanent scarring and, in the worst cases, death. Common hazards include poor lighting, noise, chemical fumes and spills, heat, falling objects, electrical shocks, vibration from machinery, and dust or mould. Slips and falls are among the most frequent causes of harm.
Workers may not be aware of every risk, so employers need to keep a constant eye out for problems. Keeping work areas free of clutter, hazardous waste, ice and debris goes a long way. Serious breaches can also bring heavy legal penalties.
Areas that occupational health covers
Occupational health is a medical specialty with a wide reach, and it sits within a complex set of regulations covering workers, employers and safety practices. Its main areas include workplace health and safety, which deals with work-related illness and injury, and the promotion of good general health among employees.
It also takes in occupational therapy, covering the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and conditions common at work, as well as occupational medicine. Environmental health looks at assessing and managing hazardous environments, while risk assessment involves preparing and reviewing health risk profiles. Some services extend to care and support for the families of people injured at work.
Because the rules are detailed, many employers bring in specialist help when drawing up policies and procedures, which helps them stay within the law and keep staff healthy.
Who occupational health professionals are and what they advise
Occupational health practitioners are medical professionals with extra training in workplace health on top of their main qualifications. Most are doctors or nurses, but the field also includes physiotherapists, psychologists and occupational therapists.
They advise employers on reasonable adjustments, such as specially adapted chairs for staff with back problems, on phased returns for people coming back from long-term sickness, and on exercises for minor musculoskeletal problems. They may also run training or awareness sessions on good practice at work.
Take an employee with ongoing problems after a broken leg from a car accident. The employer cannot see their medical records and can only work with what the employee tells them. A referral to occupational health usually starts with a nurse’s assessment, face to face or by phone, followed by advice to the employer on suitable adjustments. Bringing occupational health in early, and focusing on prevention rather than cure, makes sense whatever a company’s sickness rates.