Occupational health

An occupational health scheme is a service which gives access to a range of professional advice and services to staff.

The European Union’s Framework Directive (EEC/89/391) requires that all workers have access to preventive occupational health services. However, the way this duty has been transposed into UK law means that in practice, only a small minority of workers have access to comprehensive occupational health support at work. According to the British Medical Association, the fact that only 13% of workers have access to an occupational physician is the key missing link that undermines the UK’s aspirations to reduce sickness absence and have a healthier workforce.

In 2010, a standards and accreditation scheme was launched for occupational health services. The government’s public health strategy for England is that all employers should be encouraged to contract only with fully accredited services: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216096/dh_127424.pdf.

One of the ten demands in the TUC’s 2013 Time for change: Health and safety manifesto, is for occupational health to have the same priority as injury prevention. It says that there are around 450,000 new cases of industrial illness every year, over 70% of which are due to stress, back pain or repetitive strain injury (RSI).

It calls for much more priority to be given to this area of prevention, with stronger regulations and enforcement to stop workers being made ill by their work and for workers to have access to occupational health advice. At present, very few workers have access to a fully comprehensive occupational service.

A 2012 TUC survey showed that even among larger private employers and the public sector, less than half of workers had access to rehabilitation if they were injured or ill, and only 54% had any form of health surveillance. For workers in small companies the position is even worse. It has been estimated that less than 10% of workers have access to a fully comprehensive occupational health service through their employer.

The TUC health and safety manifesto can be found on its website at: www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/tucfiles/TUC_Health_and_Safety_Manifesto_Time_for_Change.pdf.