Setting up a successful telephone help line for occupational health depends
as much on good marketing skills as an understanding of OH needs, said Ann
Winter in her presentation on piloting a free telephone help line in
Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Winter told delegates that the aim of the pilot scheme is to provide
confidential occupational health and safety advice to employees and employers
of small- or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
It was set up as part of Securing Health Together, and was funded by the Health
& Safety Executive, which provided Salus (the main provider of occupational
health services in the area) with funding for one year.
The results of the pilot showed that the number of calls was dependent on an
effective advertising and marketing campaign to local businesses, said Winter.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
She added that although the majority of calls concerned safety issues, those
on occupational health were more time-consuming as "workers know about
health and safety but nothing about occupational health".
