Occupational health is a department inside a company that manages the overall healthcare of the facility’s workforce. They don’t manage all aspects of their health but the aspects involving work-related issues. This department will most likely be involved with educating the staff on how to work safely. They will have meetings that will focus on safety in the workplace. Many times they implement ergonomics within the workplace that will aid in a safer working position.
Occupational health helps with the health-related issues that employees have within the workplace. This can also include some basic exams that are needed for the workers to keep the employer’s insurance. Drug testing and another testing will be done by the occupational health department. This can be a department within the facility or there are outside agencies that also offer these types of services. They are the people that keep track of the number of injuries that occur within the facility. They also help the facility abide by the OSHA law.
Keeping workers safe.
Occupational health is for the health of the facility. They are the people that ensure everyone is safe while they are at work. Things such as proper flooring, proper ladders, and safety measures are all important when working. The maintenance of the equipment and other things are also important to keep everyone safe while doing their jobs. This can be helpful on both a medical and psychological standpoint.
Keeping employees safe is as important as an employer. To attract better employees an employer needs to take safety seriously. People want to work in facilities where they are offered routine check-ups at no cost to them. They are happy to have ergonomic workstations that won’t hurt their back or have them feeling like they are slaves. This is the workplace, where the employees are happy to work for this particular employer because they care about them. Taking the time to find an occupational health partner, if the business doesn’t have a reason to have its own department is critical these days. This will allow employees to have access to assistance and somewhere to turn should they need additional things to help them better do their job.
Avoid huge losses in revenue.
Millions of workers are exposed to harmful things at work every year. It is hard on a business if they have a lot of health-related reports as they will be forced to pay for those injuries and also the loss of wages in addition to finding someone to temporarily fill the position. Every year billions of dollars are paid out due to accidents and injuries that occurred at work. Occupational health is there to help protect the employees and employers through education and implementation of standards. These standards are in the best interest of safety. They should be followed to prevent injuries in the workplace. These can be simple things such as the type of shoe you should wear to the personal protection that should be used at your facility.
