Occupational
Health
Occupational Health is a
branch of medicine that
concerns itself with the
prevention and treatment of
illnesses and injuries arising from exposures found in the workplace. It is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of the workforce. It focuses on employees’ internal and external wellbeing while they undertake their daily duties in the workplace.
Benefits of Occupational Health
For the employer
- Reduced absenteeism in the workplace due to
preventative and managed healthcare - Increased productivity within the workplace
- Assist in finding the best candidate for the position
- Increased employee retention due to taking an
active interest in employees’ wellbeing - Compliance with legislation (Occupational Health
and Safety Act 85 of 1993)
For the employee
- Improved work performance
- Reduction in health risk
- Education for employees to better health management
- Early detection system that can reduce long-term effects of illness and injury
- Medical treatment is becoming more expensive by the day
- Preventative Occupational Health screening helps identify ailments at an early stage, therefore reducing expensive treatments associated with long-term illness.
Get to Know Occupational Health
You, like many other people, find Occupational Health Assessments intimidating. You may feel that it is the end-all of your career if you’re found to not be fit for duty, or if an abnormal reading is recorded. Typically, people might wonder, “could I be fired?”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
There’s no need to fear. Why? It is because Occupational Health assessments are a helpful and supportive action for both you and your employer. As the term suggests, it is used to assess an employee’s health concerning the work they have been employed to do.
These assessments are carried out by qualified Occupational Health professionals. From Audio and visual techs, nurse techs, Occupational Health Nursing Practitioners (OHNP) and Occupational Medical practitioners (OMP), these professionals are there to measure your medical results and provide you with support and guidance to treat any illness before it becomes serious.
The results of your occupational health assessment can include being fit for duty; adding reasonable adjustments; job modifications; and in extreme cases, restrictions. Most outcomes are reversible though, with corrective treatment and lifestyle improvement. You can have the opportunity to get back to former health and continue to do the work you love to do.
Risk
in the
Workplace
Proactively manage safety
and quality in your business.
If your employer is referring you for an Occupational Health Medical, it is part of a health management process or performance-related process, and seeking advice to manage any condition that might be present that may affect performance on the job. It is also part of governed legislation, particularly in heavy industry, to ensure you are able to do the work the employer hired you to do.
No. The employer is on a need-to-know basis, only. Only answers to specific occupational-related information are provided to your employer that may have an effect on the tasks you need to perform. Such information includes: Blood Pressure; Blood Sugar levels; Body Mass Index; Audio exam results and vision exam results. Confidential medical information can only be obtained by another Occupational Health practitioner, with your consent.
It is recommended that all employees in any industry have an Occupational Health Medical. This will benefit both the employee and the employer in managing any physical or even mental health risks, either pre-existing or as a result of specific exposures related to your job description.
Yes. Our Occupational Health Medical testing and reporting comply with the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993. Our staff are qualified and trained to carry out their duties in line with the Act requirements.
Yes. A company may refer an employee for a standard POCT (Point of Care test), drug screen to determine presence of any recreational or hard drugs in your system. This must be inline with their Human Resource policy.
Occupational Health is concerned with Identifying and managing by way of referral. Our Occupational Practitioners provide you with guidance and advice in lifestyle management, but any abnormalities identified during testing is referred to clinical practitioners and/or specialists for specific diagnosis and treatment.
Yes. We offer some vaccinations, with the common ailments related to various working environments such as, Flu Vaccinations, Hepatitis A/B and Rabies. We do not, however, offer yellow fever vaccinations and those would need to be conducted through a travel clinic.