Occupational Health

'Occupational health' is a term coined to describe the physical and mental wellbeing of employees in the workplace. It exists to help employees and employers navigate health regarding the working environment.

As an employer the health of your employees should be held in the highest regard, as this falls under your ‘duty of care’ as an employer. Also it is in your business’ best interests to invest in the health and wellbeing of your staff as a healthy and happy workforce leads to greater productivity and profits.

Not only is there a human cost in a failure to uphold occupational health to a high standard, but the financial cost of failing to do so could be damaging.

For more information, contact the Croner Health & Safety team today and learn more about occupational health and keeping your business compliant with the latest Health & Safety legislation. Call today on 0800 141 3824.  

What is occupational health?

‘Occupational health’ is the practice of maintaining employee health, and wellbeing in the working environment. 

An occupational health service is a medical service that employers can use to reduce or prevent risks to health. Occupational health when referred to in the context regarding health, is in relation to the job itself (the occupation).

For example a pre-existing medical condition, exacerbated by the employee’s role is an example of an occupational health issue. Similarly if an employee develops a medical condition as a result of their work then this is also considered an occupational health issue. These conditions can be both mental and physical. 

What does an occupational health service do?

Occupational health services can provide employers and employees with a range of services to help manage workplace health, both mental and physical. These can be numerous and varied but some common services that OH professionals can offer, are:

• Independent advice on health
• Legal and employment law guidance
• Fitness assessments
• Policy and procedural advice
• Pre-employment assessments

Occupational health services can be either in-house or external. Both can help you not only look after your workforce effectively and reduce absenteeism, but can help massively when it comes to writing and introducing workplace policy that is fully compliant with the latest Health & Safety legislation as well as employment law. 

What does the law say about occupational health? 

Whilst currently, no specific act on occupational health exists, the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) outlines employers’ duty of care to protect the physical and mental health of their employees.

Additionally, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) say that every employer must provide employees with appropriate health surveillance following risks identified by any assessment.

This is a legal obligation that all businesses must heed, and having an occupational health policy and/or service can go a long way to ensuring these obligations are met. Just some of the ways that occupational health can do this is through:

• Complying with legal requirements
• Applying assessments
• Reviewing and revising risks and evaluations
• Employing responsible officers

What is an occupational health issue? 

An occupational health issue is a health problem that comes about as a result of undertaking a role. A common example would be noise-induced hearing loss as a result of working with industrial machinery. Below are a list of some other common examples:

• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Work-related rehabilitation
• Work-related mental health issues
• Exposure to hazardous materials
• Work-related asthma
• Work-related rehabilitation

What is an occupational health assessment?

The nature of an occupational health assessment is to determine if the employee is fit for work. These reviews will cover a variety of health areas, from physical to mental. Some examples of the tests that can take place include:

• Vibration health checks
• Blood pressure
• Urinalysis
• Skin health checks
• Respiratory health checks
• Colour vision test
• Vision test
• Respiratory health check
• Audiometry health check
• Musculoskeletal questionnaire

These checks usually come under one of four types of occupational health screening:

• Pre-employment health checks – for new workers before they begin their role
• NHS health checks – offered to everybody in England every five years
• Health checks/lifestyle checks – general health checks offered with an employee assistance programme
• Health surveillance – regular checks for existing personnel

Employers will need different occupational health assessments for mental health conditions. These include occupational health assessments for depression, anxiety, and other conditions.

Occupational health questionnaire

The type of questions you’ll ask an employee will depend on their individual circumstances. This includes their situation, their role, and their condition. As there is such a broad range, it would be impossible to cover absolutely every conceivable question that an occupational health questionnaire might include. But for reference, here are some generic occupational health assessment questions:

• Do you have an impairment which may affect your ability to work safely?
• Do you have eyesight problems that glasses/contact lenses cannot correct?
• Do you have hearing problems that a hearing aid cannot correct?
• Do you experience fits, blackouts, or suffer from epilepsy?
• Do you struggle when standing, bending, lifting, or any other movements?
• Do you have any form of back problem?
• Have you ever experienced discomfort or pain when using a computer keyboard?
• Do you have any allergies?
• Do you have asthma, bronchitis, or any other breathing related problems?
• Have you had treatment for TB?
• Do you suffer from diabetes, thyroid or glandular problems?
• Have you ever had an illness or injury caused, or made worse, by your work?
• Do you suffer from heart disease or high blood pressure?
• Are you currently taking any form of medication?

For a full assessment, you’ll need to include specific questions. These will regard capability and reasonable adjustments.

You can include questions on anxiety, stress, and depression in your general questionnaire. However, it may be worth using focused questions for an employee suffering with their mental health.

• Have you ever suffered from work-related stress?
• Are you currently receiving treatment for a mental health issue?
• Have you previously suffered with mental health issues?
• Do you find that you’re worrying all the time while you’re at work?
• Do you regularly experience unpleasant physical sensations, such as panic attacks?
  
  

These questions help establish the issue the employee is suffering from. However, an occupational health screening won’t solely diagnose the individual. It will also tell you if they’re fit for work and how to return them to the workplace (if possible).

Occupational health reports

A report should include a few key elements. Ultimately it needs to answer three main questions:

• Is the employee fit for work?
• Are adjustments required?
• Is the employee likely to have further absences?

Another important thing to consider with any occupational health report is employee rights. Central to this is employee consent.

The employee can withdraw their consent at any point during the process and it must stop. The individual also has the right to see the final report before their employer does. They also have the right to refuse their employer the report.

If the employee does refuse, you may want to pursue a capability dismissal. If you do, it’s important that you communicate with the employee and try to come to an agreement before considering this option. Be advised that you will need to follow fair procedure at all stages when pursuing this, as failure to do so could lead to a claim of unfair dismissal and/ or discrimination. 

Occupational health referrals

You should only make a referral when there is a legitimate concern about an employee’s health. This can also include their performance or level of sickness absence. If this is the case, you need to gather enough details to make an appropriate assessment.

The medical professional you refer the individual to should understand the nature of their role and how it might affect their health.

Once you’ve established what you want from the assessment, you need to inform the employee of the procedure and get their consent. This can be a tricky conversation, so it’s important you have an HR representative with you. Or, at least seek external HR advice beforehand.

Then, you’ll need to write the referral. Provide the employee with a copy of the form before you arrange the appointment. Ideally, you’d want them to sign this document as proof of their consent.

What power does occupational health have?

If an employee is off work on long-term sickness, or is returning from sickness absence, you might want to seek advice. This is where occupational health comes into play.

You refer the employee to a health adviser. They carry out an assessment of the employee and report back to you. The results of the report should tell you if the employee is able to do their job and when they can return to work. It should also highlight any problems that could cause further health or absence issues. 

This will help you manage their return to work and keep them safe for the foreseeable future.

Occupational health software solutions

An Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) is an employee benefit offered by many leading employers. EAPs help employees deal with personal problems. These might hurt their work performance and health and wellbeing. EAPs include assessments, short-term counselling and referral services. These are available for employees and their immediate family.

Find out more about how EAP services benefit both your people and your business. Call the experts at Croner. With over 80 years in advising businesses on HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety, we’ve got you covered. 

Call today on 0800 141 3824.