{"id":3041,"date":"2021-10-15T07:24:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T14:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workhealthsolutions.com\/?p=3041"},"modified":"2023-10-25T10:02:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T17:02:24","password":"","slug":"the-covid-coaster","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/workhealthsolutions.com\/docs\/the-covid-coaster\/","title":{"rendered":"The COVID Coaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to some, the past 24 months have been a roller coaster of responses in occupational health.\u00a0 There certainly has been a great deal of attention focused on workplace health and infectious diseases, and companies have spent unprecedented amounts of resources to maintain employee health in response to the COVID-19<\/a> pandemic.\u00a0 However, from the perspective of occupational health foundations, the pandemic response is simply an expression of Occupational Health 101: it\u2019s about the basics of maintaining a healthy workplace.<\/p>\n

Reactive vs. Proactive Healthcare<\/h2>\n

Occupational healthcare is fundamentally a focused effort on maintaining employee health.\u00a0 There are the reactive components of occupational health, such as responding to employee injuries and illnesses.\u00a0 When an employee suffers a workplace injury, then needs care.\u00a0 The employee has to receive post-injury treatment and ultimately return to full productive work status.<\/p>\n

Taking injury care a step further, the next stage of occupational health is evaluating how injuries occur and taking proactive measures to prevent them or reduce their severity.\u00a0 Occupational healthcare programs focused on prevention, and mitigation can be potent tools for reducing overall occupational healthcare spending and enhancing employee health and productivity.<\/p>\n

Beyond injury, occupational health also focuses on employee and workplace assessments.\u00a0 A skilled occupational healthcare provider can engage in workplace ergonomic assessments, formal or informal, to enhance working conditions for all employees.\u00a0 In addition, providers can engage in evaluations such as respirator fit testing or audiometric (hearing) testing.\u00a0 These programs ensure that employees receive good protection from workplace hazards, such as toxic dust or loud noises.<\/p>\n

Evaluating Your Occ Health Needs<\/h2>\n

When your company is looking at your occupational healthcare needs, you should carefully assess:<\/p>\n