Benefits of employing an OP

Printer Friendly Version

Guidance for employers on engaging an occupational physician

In April 2010 the Faculty published updated guidance for employers which can be downloaded from this website via the library or the previous link.

What are the benefits of employing an occupational physician?

Companies repeatedly say that people are their most precious resource. To protect that asset an occupational physician working with your business team can yield important bottom line benefits:

Leaner company profiles mean that there are now fewer employees in organisations - which makes it crucial that employees are not incapacitated or lost through preventable ill health.
Taking positive steps to improve employees' health will help recruit and retain staff, reduce staff turnover and enhance your image.
Sound advice on compliance with legislation reduces the risk of costly prosecution and loss of image.
Increasingly, employees and former employees claim compensation for work-related illness and injury, whether or not a particular hazard is covered by legislation. Noise-induced deafness, back pain, upper limb disorders and stress are good examples. These losses are preventable.
Employers' liability insurers insist that employers demonstrate that they are adequately protecting the health of their employees. The involvement of an occupational physician helps to control employers’ liability insurance premium increases.

The message is clear. Preventive occupational health measures can be every bit as beneficial to the business as the maintenance of a company's other assets.

For further information please see the joint Faculty of Occupational Medicine/Society of Occupational Medicine on-line publication Managing the Health of your Business (1996) from which the above is adapted.

Please also see our FAQS contained in the Library page for answers to questions about recruiting Occupational Physicians, health screening and recruitment, drug testing in the workplace and more…