Occupational Health Services | Definition, Roles, and Functions

Occupational health services are defined as services entrusted with primarily preventative functions and responsible for advising the employer, the employees, and their representatives in the undertaking on the criteria for developing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment that would facilitate optimal physical and mental health in relation to work and the adaptation of work to the capabilities of workers in light of their state of physical and mental health.

The functions of an occupational health service are: –

• Protect and promote the health of workers.
• Improve working conditions and the working environment.
• Maintain the health of the enterprise as a whole.

Surveillance of the work environment gives information on the enterprise’s occupational health needs and determines the priorities for preventative and control actions.

The surveillance of the work environment should include the following: –

• Identifying and assessing environmental factors that could affect worker’s health.
• Assessment of hygienic conditions and organizational factors.
• Assessment of collective and personal protective equipment.
• Assessment of exposure to hazardous agents, using valid and generally accepted monitoring techniques.
• Assessment of control systems designed to eliminate or reduce exposure.

There are many advantages to effective and appropriate intervention for work-related illnesses and injuries, including earlier return to work, less disruption of employees’ lives, more individualized case management, and reduced costs to employers and the economy.

To conclude, according to international organizations and the constitutions of most democratic states, access to occupational health services should be a basic right of working citizens.