Occupational Health: The Value Proposition reports are launched today in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. These discuss the three broad reasons (legal, moral, and financial) why employers provide workers with access to occupational health services and summarises the best available and most recent evidence from around the world for different health interventions in the workplace. This evidence establishes that occupational health services enhance employee health, workforce productivity, business performance and the economy.
A first edition of Occupational Health: The Value Proposition was published in 2017 in the UK by The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM). The Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM) together with the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) decided to commission a local version. This coincided with the 5-year update of the SOM report. ANZSOM and SOM have a memorandum of understanding and in the spirit of collaboration the draft UK report was shared with the ANZSOM report team to bring Australasian context to their report version. Dr Paul Nicholson, author of the UK report and a past president of SOM said he was “delighted to have been approached by ANZSOM and accelerate the UK update; publishing through a Creative Commons license so ANZSOM and any other organisations could distribute, adapt, and build upon the material for their own use”.
Lord Blunkett, SOM Patron, said: “Employers who invest in employee health and wellbeing stand to reap many benefits such as from reduced sickness absence, increased productivity and recruitment and retention. However, not all workers have access to occupational health services and people with disabilities and long-term health conditions continue to be disadvantaged regarding gaining and maintaining employment. As this report proposes, occupational health services enhance employee health, workforce productivity, business performance and the economy.”
Dr Mary Obele, Consultant Occupational and Environmental Physician, and Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) said: “Occupational health professionals in Australia and New Zealand do their best to promote good work, safe workplaces and healthy workers. Getting ourselves recognised and understood is one of our first challenges. This collaboration helps highlight what we can achieve together.”
Dr Jayne Moore, SOM President, said: "This report draws together brilliantly the evidence base to help workplaces remain healthy and safe.”