What is Occupational Health?
The World Health Organization defines Occupational Health as “dealing with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and having a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. The health of the workers has several determinants, including risk factors at the workplace leading to cancers, accidents, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory diseases, hearing loss, circulatory diseases, stress related disorders and communicable diseases and others.”[1]
At Apex, we have found that many individuals we meet understand certain components of occupational health, but do not realize the full spectrum of services available to aid in protecting their employee’s health. More often than not, occupational health is immediately associated with services such as occupational therapists or first aid. These services are a part of occupational health, but it also encompasses much more than that!
Occupational Health Services can include:
- On-site Occupational Health Nurses
- Hearing Conservation Programs
- Vision Testing
- Respiratory Protection Programs
- Medical Surveillance for Risks and Exposures
- Diagnostic Testing
- Drug and Alcohol Testing
- Immunization Programs
- Fit for Duty Testing
- Independent Medical Evaluations
- Functional Capacity Evaluations
- And much more
This week is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. We want to spread the word about Occupational Health and Safety, and make sure that employers know what they can do to keep their employees healthy and safe on the job.
For more information on Occupational Health and Safety you can visit any of the websites listed below.
Apex Occupational Health and Wellness
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
If you have any questions about Occupational Health or Employee Health in general, reach out to us at 519-896-3330 or info@apexocc.com.
[1] http://www.who.int/topics/occupational_health/en/