By Nick Pahl, SOM CEO
Occupational Health Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of occupational health (OH) and explain the value it provides.
Have a look at the plethora of resources on our website, engage with SOM social media content, use posters under free resources, release your own press releases using our templates, and share SOM blogs that will be released every day of the week.
Our free-to-use OH provider directory is a great tool that can help you to find the best OH service for your teams. It includes details of Occupational Health companies, their quality certifications, services offered and direct contact details.
SOM is launching a Buyers’ guide to wellbeing products or services today – as part of OH Awareness Week. It highlights how OH offers innovative, evidence-based, and data-driven solutions to improve workplace health.
Research shows that OH is ranked as the key way for managing employee long-term absence from work - the most common workplace health problems being mental health and musculoskeletal-related conditions.
OH professionals collaborate with staff and employers to develop solutions that enable staff with health issues to continue working, with adaptations if necessary. OH interventions also help people with disabilities and long-term conditions stay in work and increase productivity across the workforce. OH helps manage long-term or short-term intermittent health problems, as well as helping take organisational wide steps to reduce sickness absence.
Occupational Health Awareness week also highlights how occupational health professionals are dedicated to developing and improving workplace health. It’s a great career option, whatever your previous background. SOM is hosting a careers day for nurses and doctors on the 25th September.
Finally, save the date for the SOM/FOM conference on 16-18th June 2025 in Brighton including a sparkling reception at the Royal Pavilion. Unique workplace visits will be on Monday 16th June and the programme will offer clinical updates as well as plenary lectures from global experts. This is the key conference to connect OH leaders and practitioners both in the UK and globally. A call for abstracts will launch later in the year. Don’t miss this conference!
Nick Pahl is CEO
of the SOM.