what do occupational health do

Occupational health is an area of work in public health that aims to promote and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations. The purpose of occupational health is to ensure the safety of all employees from workplace accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Occupational health deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. The science and practice of occupational health involves several disciplines, such as occupational medicine, nursing, ergonomics, psychology, hygiene, safety, and others. The objectives of occupational health include the maintenance and promotion of workers health and working capacity, the improvement of working conditions and the working environment to become conducive to safety and health, and the development of work organization and working cultures that should reflect essential value systems adopted by the undertaking concerned. Occupational health helps employers look at their current environment and work to reduce health risks and stay compliant with evolving regulations. Some of the services provided by occupational health include on-site clinics, access and outreach to behavioral health specialists, tele-behavioral health services, work-related injury care, pre-placement screenings, physical therapy, and DOT physicals. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians inspect, test, and evaluate workplace environments, programs, equipment, and practices to ensure they follow occupational safety and health regulations and standards. The goal of a multidisciplinary occupational health and safety team is to design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive health and safety program that ensures the safety of all employees from workplace accidents, injuries, and fatalities.