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 was transposed into UK law meant that in practice, only a small minority of workers have had access to comprehensive occupational health support at work. 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 was even worse. It was estimated that less than 10% of workers had access to a fully comprehensive occupational health service through their employer.


One of the ten demands in the TUC’s Time for change: Health and safety manifesto was for occupational health to have the same priority as injury prevention. The TUC argued that with 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), much more priority should be given to this area of prevention. It called for stronger regulations and enforcement to stop workers being made ill by their work and for workers to have access to occupational health advice.