It's time for employers to view private medical insurance as a key part of their occupational health spend, argues Nic Paton. By rights, OH and workplace-based health insurance such as private medical insurance (PMI) and income protection should be   More...
01 March 2013 00:01

Almost one-third (30%) of UK HR directors have said that "employee burnout" is common in their organisations, with excessive workloads the main cause of factors such as increased sick leave, lateness and reduced productivity. A survey by recrui  More...
25 February 2013 13:17

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe recently announced to an all-parliamentary group on cannabis that mandatory drug testing should be introduced for millions of workers . His rationale was that drug testing and the fear of los  More...
18 February 2013 17:37

More than half the UK population has had a mental health problem at some point in their lives, a recent study by health insurer Aviva has concluded. Its Health of the nation report found that 85% of respondents fear that their mental health will d  More...
08 February 2013 00:01

Age, autonomy and coronary heart disease Older workers with more autonomy and control at work are less likely to experience a first-time coronary event than those with high job strain and low task control, according to a study of 227 coronary patien  More...
06 February 2013 00:01

More than half of British adults say their life is more stressful than five years ago, with money and work topping the list of anxieties, and people are now three times more likely to turn to alcohol rather than their GP to help them deal with their str  More...
05 February 2013 00:01

Nine sunbeds out of 10 in England fail to meet the required British and European safety standards, research by Cancer Research UK has found. The study in the British Journal of Dermatology concluded that the levels of ultraviolet radiation emitted  More...
05 February 2013 00:01

A new ring-fenced public health budget for local authorities was announced by the Government in January, as a key part of devolving responsibility for public health from this April. The creation of a £5.45 billion two-year budget will see local au  More...
04 February 2013 00:01

A Merseyside council has been fined after 29 employees were diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council after workers in its parks and leisure department wer  More...
03 February 2013 00:01

Manufacturing body the EEF is urging manufacturers to get a better handle on the requirements of the European REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) Regulations or face the prospect of unlimited fines - or even a prison sentence  More...
02 February 2013 00:01

People who have a mental health condition often have access to considerable support. The Mindful Employer initiative seeks to address the question: "Who supports their employer?" Richard Frost explains. The Mindful Employer scheme was launched in Oc  More...
01 February 2013 09:00

Sleep deprivation can result in impaired judgment, lower productivity and a higher likelihood of accidents, writes Dr Tony Massey. So what are the steps employers can take to ensure their employees are getting sufficient rest each night?  When  More...
01 February 2013 09:00

With back pain cited as the reason for 48% of long-term absences by manual workers, Anne Harriss and Mary Smolen explain why this is such a crucial area for OH professionals to focus on. Approximately 80% of the population will have at least one epi  More...
01 February 2013 09:00

Two leading OH practitioners were acknowledged in the 2013 New Year Honours List. Dr Steve Boorman, an OH consultant and author of the NHS Health and Wellbeing's Boorman review in 2009, was made a CBE. Boorman, formerly chief medical adviser to t  More...
01 February 2013 00:01

Contracts are an important business tool and most OH practitioners will need to deal with them as part of their day-to-day practice. Susanna Everton gives an overview of the important points you need to know. Occupational health practitioners will   More...
01 February 2013 00:01

In a previous article, we examined how psychological first aid could help OH practitioners ensure the wellbeing of employees in crisis. In this article, Dr John Durkin looks at supporting employees who have experienced a traumatic exposure. Occupati  More...
01 February 2013 00:01

Britain's healthcare system will need to adapt significantly to meet the demands of an increasingly obese nation, a major new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has concluded. The Action on obesity report argues that while health pro  More...
30 January 2013 15:00

The risk of a man developing cancer in his lifetime will have reached one in two by 2027 , according to charity Cancer Research UK. This means that within 15 years, 50 men out of every 100 are likely to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in t  More...
30 January 2013 15:00

Employers often ignore the localised health needs of staff they send to work overseas, research has suggested, with two-fifths of expatriates only being offered the same healthcare package as their counterparts in the UK, irrespective of its appropriate  More...
30 January 2013 15:00

The Government has pledged to establish a new national health and work assessment and advisory service by the end of next year at the latest, in a move that promises to bring profound changes to the profile and prominence of occupational health. The  More...
30 January 2013 00:01