Employers have called on the Government to clarify exactly what it intends to introduce in the way of tax breaks on healthcare plans. The Government has indicated that it wishes to provide greater incentives to encourage employers to invest in healt  More...
01 May 2012 10:00

The Government has published a report assessing several pilot schemes that it launched in 2010 aimed at improving sickness absence management in small and medium-sized enterprises. Nic Paton discusses the key findings. Lessons learned from the pilot  More...
01 May 2012 09:30

Under the close supervision of a more experienced professional, occupational health practitioners could have an opportunity to maximise their career potential. Sarah Harriss and Anne Harriss explain. The post of a newly qualified occupational health  More...
01 May 2012 09:10

Dame Carol Black, a leading public health figure, discusses an initiative that aims to make significant improvements to the wellbeing of the UK workforce. Black, expert adviser to the Department of Health and long-time advocate for improving health   More...
01 May 2012 09:10

Case management reports should ensure that all occupational health referrals are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner. Lara Carmel explains how OH practitioners should approach this task. Preparing and writing occupational health reports to   More...
01 May 2012 09:10

Wellbeing specialist Dr Bridget Juniper reveals why employers should shift their focus from engagement to wellbeing when investigating efforts to improve workplace performance. This series on employee wellbeing explores how the concept is gaining s  More...
01 May 2012 09:00

Exhaust fumes linked to lung cancer deaths and high blood pressure Heavy exposure to diesel exhaust fumes increases the risk of death from lung cancer, according to two studies of non-metal miners in the US carried out by the National Cancer Institu  More...
01 May 2012 09:00

Men are more at risk than women of dying suddenly from a cardiac arrest that is caused by irregular heart rhythms, a report from the National Audit of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) has suggested. Sudden cardiac arrest was thrust into the m  More...
26 April 2012 10:30

A Cornish occupational health firm has been fined and severely criticised after a court ruled that it allowed staff without proper qualifications to screen workers for hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Audio Medical Services (AMS), of Liskeard, car  More...
26 April 2012 10:00

New Year health and fitness resolutions are responsible for a huge spike in the number of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and sickness absences, according to research. A study by physiotherapy provider Physio Med has concluded that over-ambitious   More...
25 April 2012 10:00

Hospital doctors should question patients with respiratory problems about their job, the materials they work with and whether or not their symptoms improve when they are away from work, new guidance developed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has  More...
25 April 2012 09:00

The Fit for Work Service is unlikely to be rolled out nationally in the current economic climate, the author of the Government's interim assessment of the pilot service has predicted. In what is likely to be a blow to the hopes of many occupational   More...
24 April 2012 09:00

Long working hours and depression episodes Further analysis of the Whitehall II study has found that working long hours may predispose people to major depressive episodes. The odds ratio for a middle-aged civil servant, with no history of mental illn  More...
03 April 2012 09:00

Wellbeing specialist Dr Bridget Juniper outlines 10 steps that organisations should follow in order to devise and execute an effective employee wellbeing programme. 1. What do you want your employee wellbeing programme to achieve? I never cea  More...
02 April 2012 09:00

How much impact can employee health have on productivity levels? A recent seminar attempted to find out. Nic Paton reports. Asking most occupational health practitioners to make a link between health and workplace productivity is preaching to the co  More...
01 April 2012 09:00

An independent review of workplace health has suggested a key role for occupational health in addressing the UK's sickness absence problem. Nic Paton reports. In December 2007, Occupational Health magazine described Dame Carol Black's groundbreaking  More...
01 April 2012 09:00

A thesis on the role of occupational health in preventing workplace bullying has won the first Denis D'Auria Prize, a prize inaugurated by Cardiff University in memory of the college's senior lecturer in toxicology and occupational medicine, who passed   More...
30 March 2012 16:23

More than 260,000 people are claiming sickness benefits because of mental and behavioural disorders, a recent analysis has argued. The crunching of statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions by insurer Legal & General has found that th  More...
30 March 2012 10:00

The Government has made a pledge to support thousands more disabled people into gaining mainstream employment. The commitment came in its March response to the Sayce review , which was commissioned to look at how its £320 million protected budget f  More...
29 March 2012 10:23

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) embraced the free occupational health advice line piloted by the Government between late 2009 and March 2011, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced. An evaluation to coincide with its first-  More...
28 March 2012 11:23