Occupational Health, otherwise known as Occupational Safety and Health, is an area of expertise that protects people at work. The aim of occupational health providers is to provide a safe working environment.This can even extend beyond the workplace, for example, protecting customers and suppliers, as well as the larger community in which the workplace is based.

Occupational Health is often confused with Health & Safety. While Health & Safety is indeed a part of it, Occupational Health is a broad discipline that incorporates holistic practices designed to improve health and wellbeing.

For example, Employee Assistance Programmes are holistic solutions that employers can offer their employees, which act as an initial go-to point for help and advice. This can almost be promoted as a benefit, but can extend to counselling sessions at its most mature.

Occupational Health providers can also provide first aid training to employees, to guarantee that each workplace has a first aider on-site. Equally, there is a wide range of training courses that can be given on health and safety.

Finally, an occupational health provider can fulfil ergonomic workplace assessments. These could involve checking height and distance of computer screens, but can also check the effects of vibration in factories, ensuring that employees’ health is not affected by the work they are carrying out.