What Occupational Health Means for Your Business

We talk a lot about employee wellness, with the main idea being that you can help people get and stay healthy through workplace incentives. Wellness programs go a long way in helping employees prevent illness, become aware of existing conditions, and meet specific goals like losing weight. Occupational health, while similar to ‘employee wellness,’ is a massive subset of workplace health that primarily deals with identifying and controlling risks to employees’ health while they’re at work.  

You do everything you can to encourage employees to healthify their lives… so, you’ll definitely want to be sure your work environment reduces employees’ risk of developing illness or encountering other health hazards.

Occupational Health is Defined by Your Business

Companies that work with hazardous materials every day are likely familiar with various aspects of occupational health. Governed by the World Health Organization (WHO), “occupational health deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards.” So, those employees that deal with toxic chemicals or complete jobs in dangerous conditions are regulated in order to prevent serious hazards that could cause discomfort, disease, or even death.

However, even people who aren’t subjected to inhaling chemicals or working at high altitudes or other dangerous conditions have regulations to ensure optimal health.

Prevention is Key

Occupational health is all about prevention. Any activity or situation that could cause physical or mental ailment to an employee is monitored and generally has some sort of guideline to prevent such illness from occurring. For instance, smoking areas ensure that employees who don’t want to breathe in smoke are not subjecting to such conditions. All of these prevention-centered regulations revolve around reducing hazards, as well as the risk of encountering them. Some examples of occupational health in action are proper ladder usage, removal of asbestos, and implementing other safety programs and protocols such as having a first response team CPR certified and ready. 

Workplace Wellness Programs Fall Under Occupational Health

So we’ve covered lots of technical aspects of occupational health. But guess what… your employees’ wellness is another example of preventing illness while at work. Though they may not admit it to their managers, employees experience vast amounts of stress at work. They also may find it difficult to make time to see a doctor, to meet their weight loss goals, or to get properly immunized. Workplace wellness programs offer the convenience employees need to meet all of these objectives. And healthy employees equal less time off. So, in the name of productivity, step up your occupational health game with a wellness program!

SEE OUR WELLNESS SERVICES