WHY occupational health?
All business sectors are increasingly understanding the importance of workplace health and safety, risk assessments, and employee wellbeing. These are complex matters, and having the right expert advice on hand to guide your business is essential. WorkHealth Jersey makes the specialist advice you need available, when you need it.
The Business Case for OH
“With responsibility for people’s health and wellbeing increasingly falling on employers, Occupational Health can play a vital role in supporting them to put in place an effective framework. The valuable contribution that Occupational Health professionals can make to an organisation can be far wider than is often realised – not only by providing effective rehabilitation and return-to-work strategies when people are already ill but giving expert advice and introducing initiatives to help prevent ill health in the first place. Employers that invest in this area are likely to more than reap the benefits in terms of better health outcomes for staff but also from their increased engagement and loyalty.” Rachel Suff, Policy Lead for Health and Wellbeing, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.
The Legal Case for OH
The Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989 places a legal responsibility on all businesses to look after the health and wellbeing of their employees. All businesses employing five or more staff must have a written Health & Safety policy, and do what is ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect their employees from work-related ill health or injury.
The Discrimination (Jersey) Law 2013, which now includes disability discrimination, obliges all organisations to make reasonable adjustments so that individuals are not treated unfavourably as a result of their disability.
The Employment (Jersey) Law 2003 protects employees from unfair dismissal, including those covered by the discrimination law.
The Social Case for OH
Increasingly employees, customers, shareholders and governments expect businesses to demonstrate high standards of corporate social responsibility and to integrate social, ethical and environmental concerns into their operations. Occupational health can play a major role in employers’ corporate social responsibility programmes.
Employers are also increasingly recognising that looking after employee health makes the workplace a more productive, attractive place to work. This approach benefits the local community and the island as a whole, as healthy people require less support from health and social services – good work is key for good health.
Keeping your employees healthy, keeping your business healthy
Get in touch and see how we can help. A quality dedicated OH service will always get to know the specifics of your business, your workplace, and the unique risks your employees might face in their work. We can help you carry out a full needs assessment so we provide exactly the services you require