Occupational Health

What is Occupational Health?

Occupational Health (OH) is a service provided to all staff at the Sheffield College offering independent medical advice and guidance on managing the health of staff specifically focusing on the effects of health on work and work on health. Occupational Medicine centers around the management of illness, injury or disability that is related to the workplace and operate as a diagnostic service. 

What is the purpose of a referral?

OH will assess your health and whether this may have an impact on your ability to carry out your day-to-day duties and/or your ability to sustain a regular attendance at work. A referral to OH also gives you the opportunity to talk over, in confidence, any concerns that you may have about your health in relation to work with an experienced OH practitioner. The purpose of the OH referral is to obtain a professional medical report to advise on:

• Confirming diagnosis and prognosis

• Current fitness to work and timescales of a possible return to work

• Likelihood of a re-occurrence or a further absence

• Capability t return to current role or advice on suitable alternative roles.

Why has my manager referred me?

There are many reasons why your manager may have referred you to OH and should have discussed these prior to a referral being made. An OH referral is a supportive measure in order to seek professional advice on how best to support you at work e.g. gain a better understanding of your condition, help improve your levels of attendance, help support you back into work etc. 

Work Station Risk Assessments 

Our experienced OH Adviser is able to perform work station assessments that will assess your current desk and DSE equipment for its suitability. They are then able to make recommendations that can make you feel more comfortable when you are working at a desk, for example, this could be a specialist chair, specialist keyboards or mouse or computer screen. The OH Adviser will confirm if you have a medical condition where you will benefit from these types of adjustments. If you have a condition where you feel you need this type of support, talk to your line manager who will be able to make a referral on your behalf. 

Health Surveillance 

Our OH services provide workplace testing to check for a number of conditions such as Audio testing and Lung Function testing. If you are in a role that requires this testing, you will receive your appointments through Health and Safety.