For Occupational Health Awareness Week 2024, we’re spotlighting the crucial role occupational health (OH) plays in employee wellbeing, productivity, and performance. 

Occupational health services keep staff mentally and physically well at work. At your builders merchant, you might use them to address a range of health considerations and compliance requirements – from forklift truck medicals to spirometry screenings to assess wood dust exposure. 

Most employers believe occupational health support comes into play following an illness or injury. While OH can speed recovery after an accident or ill health, it’s best used as a preventative measure to maintain a safe and wellness-led workplace. 

Here’s how to put occupational health to work for your business. 

Prevent accidents and illness before they happen 

Proactive care helps you comply with health and safety regulations and reduce your risk of staff accidents, downtime, and long-term absence. By detecting health concerns early on, you can address small-scale issues and avoid more serious – and costly – medical problems down the line. 

Practical examples for your builders merchant might include: 

• Audiology screenings – Audiometric assessments help safeguard hearing in loud work environments. They establish baseline hearing levels for your workers so you can prevent noise-induced hearing loss and act on issues over time. 
• Musculoskeletal (MSD) assessments – MSD assessments pinpoint problems caused by repetitive job movements – such as lifting, pushing, and twisting – and provide recommendations to minimise impact. 
• Spirometry – Lung function testing detects the early signs of respiratory issues and other health considerations resulting from exposure to wood dust and airborne particulates.
• Face fit testing – Face fit testing ensures you deliver the best possible respiratory protection in line with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) standards. Our occupational health technicians will conduct the testing for your employees who use these types of masks. These could be disposable masks (FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3), half masks, and full-face masks. These tests ensure the mask forms an effective seal, providing optimal protection against hazardous substances. 
• Forklift truck medicals – Targeted assessments typically evaluate vision, hearing, blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders, and urine analysis (glucose levels), along with a safety-critical questionnaire highlighting any health conditions or concerns to determine whether drivers are fit to operate a forklift truck. 

Use occupational health services to build a better business

According to statistics from the most recent Labour Force Survey, UK companies lost 35.2 million working days to work-related ill health and non-fatal, on-the-job injuries in 2022/23. 

What’s more, the longer an employee is off sick, the lower their chance of making an effective transition back to work. The government’s Black Review into the health of working-age people found that after a six-month absence, individuals are half as likely to successfully return to the workplace. 

A robust operational health programme puts the odds in your favour. By proactively supporting staff wellness, you can build a healthier, safer workforce and leverage a range of rewarding business benefits: 

• Regulatory compliance – Operational health services ensure you meet obligations under health and safety law – from correctly handling hazardous substances to preventing manual handling injuries. By fostering a safety-led culture, you can head off the hefty financial penalties and reputational damage associated with compliance breaches. 
• Stronger safety standards – Proactive occupational health care also encompasses online and on-the-job safety training, helping you use knowledge and awareness to prevent accidents and create a safer work environment. 
• Higher productivity – Healthy employees are proven to perform better. Taking steps to maintain staff wellbeing can improve motivation, reduce burnout, and maximise productivity. 
• Lower absence rates – A commitment to operational health – including mental and physical wellness programmes and preventive care – can create a more reliable and consistent workforce, minimising days off and tackling long-term sickness. 
• Improved morale and retention – Investing in your team’s wellbeing shows you care about staff health and safety, both in and out of work. A positive, people-first culture is also a powerful selling point, boosting candidate attraction rates and enhancing job satisfaction and loyalty among current employees. 

Talk to Opus about your occupational health options 

Opus helps you harness the business benefits of occupational health support. Talk to us about audiology, spirometry, and ongoing health surveillance services to drive long-term employee wellness and build a more productive and motivated team. 

We’re available on 0330 043 4015 or hello@opus-safety.co.uk.

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