How You can Benefit from Occupational Health

Occupational health is re-defining the way individuals and communities get access to health services in the workplace. In the past, it was very difficult to get access to timely intervention on different health problems and concerns but with the advent of mobile medical surveillance and health services many SMEs, private and public companies can benefit from the services.

So, how does one stand to benefit from occupational health services? First, the service providers are itinerant individuals. They work as mobile units moving to their clients from time to time. This way, clients enjoy intervention and support round the clock without the need of scheduling visits to health facilities.

These occupational safety practitioners can also help you to save money by visiting you onsite according to your schedule. This ensures that your employees continue to work and when they need health services, the service provider brings the services to the working site thus reducing operation inefficiencies and lost man hours because of sick offs or leaves.

Examinations &Tests

As an employer, it is advisable to offer periodic tests to your employees to determine whether they are physically fit to proceed with their daily engagements or whether they should take time off to seek treatment and rest. Some of the tests that can be administered by occupational safety specialist include:

• Vision Test- These tests are important when ascertaining the ability of employees to read or make precision judgments using their eyes. The tests can check different ocular functions and measure the ability of employees to determine aspects such as distance and color. It also determines whether there are eye defects or gaps in the field of vision.

• Hearing Test- Besides the vision tests, hearing tests is an integral part of health and safety requirements that can help to evaluate the employee’s ability to hear. These tests can reveal what kind of hearing problem your employees face by measuring the sensitivity of their ears to sound

• Lung Function Test- Basically, this tests the volume of air which is inhaled and the rate of exhalation from the lungs. This important data is gathered by the use of a device known as spirometer.The tests can be re-produced inform of graphs for analysis and interpretation.

Physical Examination- This is normally done on new employees and exiting employees. This is essential in determining employee compatibility to specific jobs and allocation of tasks to employees depending on their degree of physical fitness.

Health and safety tests play a significant role in determining employee well-being and health status at work stations or sites. In fact, these tests can reveal whether employees are best suited or fit to specific work and whether they meet the health threshold and requirements needed to undertakes specific tasks in a given occupation.

Normally, the tests are conducted in compliance with requirements and regulations for occupational health and safety. The tests are standard and so, you won’t need to subject your employees to further tests or medical examinations for confirmation purposes.

In addition, these tests ensure that the health of employees is not adversely affected by working environment and conditions. Similarly, the tests also establish employees’ baseline medical information and specifically for those who face the highest risks caused by exposure to risk, thus reducing the cost of treatment and liabilities to the employer

Dot is author of this article on Health and Safety. Find more information, about Occupational Health here