What is Occhealth?
Occ health, also known as occupational health,¹ is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. Occupational health is a holistic approach that considers the physical, mental, and social factors that can affect workers’ health.
Occupational health professionals work to identify and control hazards in the workplace, promote healthy lifestyles, and support workers who are unwell or injured. They also play an important role in preventing work-related accidents and illnesses.
Examples of occ health activities:
- Pre-employment health assessments
- Preparing occupational health questionnaires
- Health surveillance for workers exposed to hazards
- Ergonomic assessments
- Workplace safety training
- Advice on managing work-related stress
- Support for workers with long-term health conditions
- Return to work plans
- Rehabilitation
Case study example:
The NHS is one of the largest employers in the UK, with over 1.2 million staff. The NHS Occupational Health Service (OHS)² provides a range of services to NHS staff, including:
- Pre-employment health assessments
- Health surveillance for workers exposed to hazards
- Ergonomic assessments
- Workplace safety training
- Advice on managing work-related stress
- Support for workers with long-term health conditions
- Return to work plans
- Rehabilitation
The NHS OHS also provides advice to NHS managers and employers on how to create safe and healthy workplaces for their staff.
Article fact-checked and approved by Dr. Amun Kalia and Dr Deryk Waller