What is Occupational Health?
The Objective
"To promote and maintain the physical, mental and social wellbeing of all staff in the Organisation"
The occupational health professional offers skills to meet the organisation's needs
Occupational health is increasingly becoming an important part of the management agenda in many quality organisations. The contribution made by occupational health professionals to the performance of an organisation can be clearly demonstrated.
Occupational health is a distinct branch of medicine concerned with how a worker's health can affect his or her ability to do the job and how work and the work environment can affect an employee's health.
The occupational health professional offers particular in-depth skills required to meet the needs of the organisation and ensure the optimum health of all its employees. In addition to their clinical skills they are required by law to possess skills and expertise with particular knowledge of direct relevance to the organisation as a whole and the needs of the employees:
- awareness of the way the organisation operates
- an appreciation of management skills
- knowledge of the law relating to workplace issues
- an understanding of the health hazards that can arise at work
- the ability to access risks relating to the health of individuals and groups
Thus occupational health professionals can measure, monitor and review relevant health indices and so make recommendations of real value to the organisation.
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