ABSTRACT

The Health of the Nation noted 'The increasing concern of employers and their workforces to improve health offers opportunities to develop and increase such activity in the workplace'. The duty of the occupational physician is primarily to protect the health of the worker, while also acting as a medical resource to management. A fundamental principle of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the expectation that the employer must, as far as is reasonably practicable, make the work-place safe for employees, contractors and members of the public. Health surveillance and medical examinations are therefore neither the major component of occupational health nor the major need of the working population. The needs for, and the standards of, initial and subsequent health assessments are set out in the Health and Safety Executive guidance notes on pre-employment screening and health surveillance by routine procedures. At initial engagement, a self-completed health questionnaire may be an adequate screening mechanism.