Dear lists - I find this recurring question "when do you need an OHP?" so deeply unconstructive. So often the answer, from management, HSE, and even OH professionals, is narrow, legalistic and defensive. In no other area of professional advice to businesses would there be this question. Imagine "when do you need a lawyer?" or "when do you need an accountant". And then restricting the lawyer's or accountant's work to ONLY those defined areas where the professional qualification is legally required. Madness! Surely, if a business has any significant hazards or health-related employment issues, there is an a priori need for an occupational physician. The only question is "how much/how little". Maybe a business needs only to retain an external OP who visits very occasionally? Maybe the business needs a whole team of full-time OPs with different sub-specialty interests?
I find this whole approach in the UK extraordinary. Surely, (1) all businesses need access to occupational health advice and (2) all occupational health providers should be large enough to employ the full range of staff who contribute to OH, including occupational hygienists, safety officers, rehab specialists, counsellors etc.
Apart from exhortation, what is HSE doing about the lamentably poor access to OH in UK businesses? And what is it doing about the standards of OH provision?
(1) If other countries can legislate to ensure that all/most organisations have access to an OHS, surely it is not beyond the UK?
(2) If the UK can manage to lay down enforcable standards for teaching, nursing homes, childcare, cardiac surgery, and many other difficult areas, surely we can manage this for standards of OH provision?
And no-one is to respond wetly with "there aren't enough practitioners". Demand creates supply. If the universities knew for definite that there was a need for qualifications - courses would be set up very quickly. If employers knew for definite that there would be legislation, they would create posts. Posts + courses = practitioners.
Get on with it, HSE. And if it isn't HSE's business, whose is it?
Kate
Dr Katherine M Venables MD FRCP FFOM MFPHM
University Lecturer in Occupational Medicine
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oxford
Old Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
Telephone (direct) (+)1865 227034, (secretary) (+)1865 282677
>>> Dennis Macwilliam <[log in to unmask]> 05/11/02 18:57:55 >>>
The answer is "it all depends".
It depends, in part, on the nature of the activities taking place within
the working environment and whether any of them present risks to health
which are subject to mandatory health surveillance under COSHH [look at
Regs 11[1] and 11[2] or other legislation [for example: the Control of Lead
at Work Regulations - but please note, this is not meant to be an
exhaustive list].
Don't forget also the application of the Management of Health & Safety at
Work Regns 1999, which can encompass other health surveillance issues such
as HAVS and noise.
The requirement is for "suitable" health surveillance and, other
than 'appointed doctors'[e.g. for lead exposures or for diving] it doesn't
prescribe who should carry out the surveillance. An OHN could do this
work, and simply have access to an OHP for referrals, etc.
Why not get in touch with your local HSE office and talk to EMAS and get
their advice?
You cold also get in touch with other member companies within the
Trelleborg Group [I'm thinking of Trowbridge] to find out what they do.
Dennis M
|