Occupational Health

“Occupational Health is the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations by preventing departures from health, controlling risks and the adaptation of work to people, and people to their jobs.” (ILO / WHO 1950)

This was subsequently updated to these three principle objectives:

• The maintenance and promotion of workers’ health and working capacity
• The improvement of working environment and work to become conducive to health and safety
• The development of work organisation and working cultures in the direction, which supports health and safety at work, and in doing so promotes a positive social culture and smooth operation and may enhance productivity of the undertaking.

(Source: Twelfth Session of the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health 1995)

Our role as Occupational health role providers, has four key functions :

1. Health leadership – helping organisations to understand the health needs of their working population and then translating this into a targeted strategy and plan, with appropriate resources
2. Health risk management – assessing, controlling and monitoring health risk inherent in the workplace
3. Fitness for work – advising on the impact of ill health and the physical & mental capacity on an individual’s fitness for work or tasks
4. Wellbeing – promoting good health by advising on common health conditions, helping individual make healthy lifestyle choices, and building resilience