Health Work and Wellbeing strategy - a report on how the roles of different practitioners are likely to change after Dame Carol Black’s review on how to keep working age people healthy and how to use the workplace to promote health. The article will look at some of the radical proposals tipped to become definite recommendations for the government.

February

The Ageing Workforce - exclusive research on how employers can best protect the health of older workers, including advice on workplace adjustments and return to work.

March

Technology and workplace health - how management systems and medical technology could change the way employees’ health is safeguarded and promoted.

April

The role of the insurance industry in occupational health - with insurance companies becoming more proactive in providing vocational rehabilitation and other occupational health services, how will the sector influence workplace health practitioners in future?

May

Musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomics - The specialist knowledge of ergonomists could be a key to tackling the second biggest cause of workforce absence, so how do they fit into a multidisciplinary approach to protecting employees from MSDs?

June

Stress - New research is shedding influence on the factors causing ill health among the UK’s workforce, many of which are not work-related. So what is the role of the employer in preventing stress-related illness?

July

Business travel - an update on good practice in one of the most common areas of responsibility for occupational health practitioners and the new challenges of international business.

August

Health promotion and wellbeing - with the evidence base for ‘wellbeing’ approaches is growing we take a look at how this fits with health protection-based occupational health.

September

Health protection: noise, vision, vibration, hazards. Exposure to health risks remains in many industry sectors occupational health practitioners need to stay abreast of regulatory requirements and good practice.

October

Respiratory health surveillance - how best can staff prevent conditions such as work-related COPD and asthma, and what are their responsibilities to employees with a pre-existing condition?

November

Absence and attendance management - a survey of what approaches are making the biggest impact on absence rates.

December

Drugs and alcohol and the workplace - Concern about recreational drinking and drug use is growing so what is the role of the employer in managing drink and drugs abuse?