Health at Work
Occupational Health is concerned with the management of health issues within the workplace. Specifically the effect of work on health and health on work. IOH offer the legal support and medical services which are required to ensure that you are legally complaint in your management of health risks.
Occupational Health ties together the Human Resources and Health and Safety disciplines and helps them to take a business focused assessment on management decisions to do with health related risks. You may for example have sickness absence concerns or are developing the health element of your Health and Safety strategy, equally you may only require health surveillance in the workplace. In any of these examples the provision of cost effective and risk based Occupational Health is the only effective option to ensure best value for your business.
The key health problems in the modern workplace are:
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s).
- Psychological or mental health issues.
- Respiratory disorders, e.g. occupational asthma, asbestosis, pneumoconiosis and silicosis.
- Assistance with absence associated to sickness.
- Issues associated with specific industry hazards such as: noise, vibration, skin and respiratory risks in the workplace.
All of which should be managed by appropriate and timely interventions.
BENEFITS TO THE ORGANISATION
- Reduction in sickness absence due to health issues such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). HSE research (2003) estimated that 11.8 million were lost a result of work related MSDs with a cost to society in the region of £7.5 million. Early reporting, a structured treatment plan and the provision of a rehabilitation programme where required will reduce the need for an employee to take time off due to a MSD and ensure the employee is able to return more quickly if sickness absence has been required. Relevant communication with management and the input of our team of multi disciplinary health professionals will also often reduce the length of sickness absence required by an employee. Controlling absenteeism in this manner improves the overall efficiency of the business.
- Reduce litigation and compensation claims. Better management of Occupational Health within a company will help to reduce compensation claims and will assist in controlling Employer’s Liability Premiums.
- Improve productivity. Healthy employees who are working pain-free are more able to work to their full capacity, thus helping to maximise productivity.
- Improve staff moral and reduce staff turnover. Provision of Occupational Health services will improve the image of the organisation therefore helping to attract and retain staff.
- Assistance to achieve Government Targets. Occupational Health intervention can be part of a strategy put in place to help achieve the Health & Safety Executives (HSE) targets, i.e. a 20% reduction in the incidence of work-related ill health and a 30% reduction in the number of working days lost due to work related ill health.
BENEFITS TO THE EMPLOYEES
- Early intervention and treatment has been shown to improve the likelihood of achieving full recovery, therefore allowing the employee to return to full capacity both for work and home activities more quickly.
- By including education, employees will be more aware of how to avoid developing issues such as MSDs or mitigating the impact of other health issues. This is also important when defending compensation claims.
- Introducing a graduated return-to-work programme, where applicable, will accelerate an individual's return to work and reduce the likelihood of the employee having failed attempts at returning to work.
- Matching jobs where possible, to those employees who have long-standing or chronic conditions will prevent their capacity being exceeded, which could be detrimental to their health.
- Employees will feel they are being invested in by the company.