What is Occupational Health?

Occupational Health, also referred to as Occupational Medicine or simply “Occ Med,” is a branch of preventive medicine that focuses on the interrelationship between the work (the job tasks including physical and cognitive demands), the worker (including their physical, psychological, and medical status, and functional abilities), and the workplace (including work conditions [e.g., temperature, environment], workplace hazards [e.g., noise, chemicals]) and the impact they have on one another.

There are a wide range of services related to Occupational Health that encompass the entire life cycle of a worker, from hire to retire. Some of these services include:

• Pre-placement or pre-employment health assessments

• Regulated medical surveillance

• Disability case management

• On-site medical staff who provide emergency response and first-aid treatment

• Training, health education, and wellness initiatives

Occupational Health programs are designed to promote safe, healthy, and productive workplaces by:

• Promoting workers’ health and well-being;

• Matching workers and their abilities to appropriate jobs and helping to acclimate them to their job responsibilities;

• Identifying health and safety risks in the workplace and providing an opportunity to intervene early; and,

• Managing health concerns to keep valuable workers meaningfully engaged in the workplace.

Occupational Health services and programs help promote worker well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity, which can lead to increased employee morale and a positive organizational culture. Employers see these positive impacts through decreased absenteeism, lost work time, and benefits costs, and increases in employee retention and recruitment.

Where To Begin?

Implementing Occupational Health services or programs may seem daunting, so where do employers start? Employers can begin by understanding their responsibilities under their jurisdictional occupational health and safety legislation and by evaluating their organizational needs. An employer’s responsibilities may be driven by regulatory or industry requirements such as medical surveillance and licensing, or their needs may arise from an issue that impacts their workplace such as absence management or health promotion. From there, employers can identify the appropriate resources to address their needs including policy and procedure development, necessary assessments (e.g., hazards assessment), and service providers to support them.

Prioritizing occupational health is essential for creating safe, thriving workplaces. Offering a range of services that support the entire worker lifecycle, it enhances well-being, identifies risks, and manages health concerns. Investing in occupational health initiatives brings numerous advantages, contributing to a healthier and more productive work environment.

We understand that the health and safety of your workers and workplace is paramount to the success of your business. Click here to see our range of occupational health services available.