Guides and FAQ's
Occupational health is a field of medicine focused on the health and safety of people in the workplace. It involves the identification and control of workplace hazards that can lead to injury, illness, or other negative health outcomes.
Occupational health services are an important part of workplace safety and can help to prevent injuries and illnesses in workers, check out some of our handy guides, tips and FAQ's below.
FAQs About GP or Consultant Reports for Occupational Health and/or Ill Health
Why do Occupational Health (OH) want to contact my GP or Consultant? Occupational health clinicians (nurses or physicians) may feel it is appropriate to contact your GP or Consultant to better understand your current physical and/or mental health and any previous or ongoing treatment which you may be currently receiving and for a better understanding of the likely duration of any recovery if known. This may include a history of relevant symptoms or conditions which may impact upon your...
When should I refer an employee to occupational health?
In our latest blog post, we reveal everything you need to know about occupational health management referrals Management Referrals At Insight Workplace Health we aim to transition the employee back into the workplace as smoothly and seamlessly as possible following absence . Purpose of Management Referrals An employee may be referred to occupational health where there are concerns regarding their physical or mental health , sickness absence rate, or where their health is perceived as having...
A guide to ill-health retirement (IHR)
Some workplace pension schemes provide early access to your pension if you are unable to work long term due to ill health. If this is the case for you, your employer will need to seek advice from an occupational health physician (OHP) as to whether the necessary criteria set out by the pension scheme are met, and to proceed with the ill health retirement (IHR) process. Ill-Health Retirement Criteria Scheme criteria vary, but in most cases, your employer and the pension scheme will need to...
Safety Critical Medical FAQ's
Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, employers have a duty of care to prevent the ill-health of their workers; In our latest blog, Insight Workplace Health takes an in depth look at Safety Critical Medicals. Safety Critical Medicals (or Fit for Work Medicals) are obligatory for workers who undertake safety critical work as part of their role. Safety Critical Work is defined as “Where the ill health of an individual may compromise their ability to undertake a task defined as safety...
Audiometry FAQs
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005) require employers to reduce the risk of exposure to noise in the workplace for all employee which may be due to use of machinery, tools, weapons, or the environment. The legislation aims to reduce the exposure of workers to excessive noise which may cause hearing loss and/or tinnitus which may negatively impact upon an individual’s health and wellbeing. Employers must undertake a workplace risk assessment to assess the level of risk in the...
A Guide to Occupational Skin Disease and Skin Assessment
Occupational skin disease may be caused by exposure to a physical, chemical, or biological substances or repetitive mechanical force and lead to temporary skin irritation or permanent skin damage. Symptoms caused by irritants, chemicals, wet work (even just water), airborne particles and/or contaminated clothing may include redness, pain, cracking, flaking or scaly skin, swelling, blistering and/or allergic skin reactions. Where symptoms are not effectively managed, this may result in...
Chester Step Test
The Chester Step Test (CST) is a safe and reliable way to measure aerobic fitness and work readiness for physically demanding or safety-critical roles. Used across industries such as construction, emergency services, and offshore work, it helps employers assess capability, promote safety, and support employees in meeting essential fitness standards.
What is an occupational health assessment?
At Insight Workplace Health our occupational health clinicians undertake a wide variety of occupational health assessments to ensure that employees are fit to undertake all aspects of their role in the workplace. Our growing team of occupational health physicians , nurses, mental health practitioners, musculoskeletal specialists, clinical psychologists, neurodiversity, and display screen equipment (DSE) assessors are able to support employers with a wide range of physical and mental health...
What is a Discovery Audit?
A Discovery Audit is a workplace visit, undertaken at the request of the employer, by an experienced occupational health clinician for the purposes of exploring the occupational health and safety issues in the workplace and providing the employer with clear guidance as to how the hazards can be managed effectively to meet the relevant health and safety legislation. Depending upon the size of the workforce, the size of the premises/site, the nature of the hazards present (which will vary from...
