What is Occupational Medicine – And Why Does It Matter?

Occupational Medicine is a vital but often under-recognised branch of medicine that sits at the intersection of health and the working world. It focuses on two main things: how the workplace affects the worker’s health and how the worker’s health affects their ability to do their job.

As a doctor specialising in Occupational Medicine, my role is to support both employees and employers. At the heart of my work is the prevention, recognition, and management of work-related injury and illness. To do this well, I need an in-depth understanding of the individual’s health and the environment in which they work.

So, what does that look like in practice ?

Occupational physicians help people with long-term conditions to stay in work and support their safe and sustainable return following illness or injury. We provide advice on fitness for work, conduct risk assessments, and recommend reasonable workplace adjustments to ensure the job fits the worker – not the other way around.

Occupational physicians also:

1. Facilitate rehabilitation and return- to -work programmes

2. Assess how health conditions might affect an employee’s ability to perform their duties

3. Estimate return-to-work timeframes for those on sickness absence

4. Advice on redeployment, restrictions, and changes to work practices or environments.

In collaboration with employers, we help to identify workplace hazards, assess the impact of the environment on health, and advise on controlling occupational health risks. We also implement health surveillance, fulfil statutory reporting requirements, and support organisations in meeting their legal obligations for workplace health and safety.

Ultimately, Occupational medicine is about keeping people healthy, safe, and productive at work – and helping organisations create environments where their workforce can thrive.

It’s a rewarding speciality because it not only benefits the individual worker, but also has a real impact on workplace culture, performance, and sustainability.

If you’d like to learn more about how occupational medicine can support your business or team, I would be very happy to arrange a meeting , chat to you by telephone or respond to email enquiries.