The OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT Model

HOW THE MODEL WORKS

The model is designed to assist all in the construction industry to establish a workable occupational health policy and management procedures to manage health issues that affect employees and others, such as other workers on site or members of the public.

The model is aimed at all those involved in the construction industry from client and designers through to principal contractors including sub contractors and small building firms.

The model will help the user through the process of writing a company occupational health policy and how to manage the occupational health of employees and others who may be affected by your work. It offers a solution to satisfy your legal obligations under current health and safety law in relation to heath issues.

The model itself is a flow chart made up of boxes which are linked to information and guidance. Clicking in the various boxes will take you to the information and guidance on that subject. You should work through the model from the top downwards. In each box there are several pathways;

1) Black Pathway

General information- offers basic outline and guidance

2) Green Pathway

Specific health information concerning particular risks- eg MSD or HAVS

3) Red Pathway

Information concerning Safety critical workers

4) Blue Pathway

Core and detailed information about the legal requirements and/or particular risks/processes

1. General Information and Guidance (Black Pathway)

Text Box: HEADING

This is a general information box and if selected will give broad details of the title subject. If you follow the Black Pathway through the model you will get a basic outline of what is required to form a health policy and manage health risk associated with your business.

Within this main heading there are 3 other pathways:

2. Specific Information (Green Pathway)

The specific box if selected will give a list of priority health topics, for example; Hand Arm Vibration, dermatitis etc. Each one of these topics can be selected and detailed information and guidance relating to that topic will be shown. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but reflects the HSE priority topics.

3. Safety Critical Workers (Red Pathway)

The safety critical worker box will offer guidance and information relating to workers who’s health may affect others’ safety, for example, if a plant operator on site has dangerously high blood pressure and passes out due to his condition, the consequences have the potential to injure of even kill several people (site workers or even members of the public).

4. Core box (Blue Pathway)

The core box offers greater detail of the title box subject matter, including any relevant legal implications, examples of good practice, wider implications and structural guidance.

HOW TO USE THE MODEL

The boxes are designed to flow in a logical manner; you may wish to select just the black pathway boxes initially, for example

1) Selecting

If selected then basic information is accessed that tell you what a policy is, why its required and general advice on how to write one, giving some basic examples.

2) Selecting Text Box: IDENTIFY HEALTH
RISK

Helps you to identify if there are any health risk associated with your particular business.

3) Selecting Text Box: ELIMINATE RISK WHERE POSSIBLE

takes you through the next step - to try and eliminate those identified risk – if all health risks can be eliminated then no further action is needed and you move out of the model. If however the risks cannot be eliminated, they need to be controlled to an acceptable level which means you need to follow through the remainder of the model.

4) Selecting

this box helps you identify who is at risk from exposure to health issues.

5) Selecting Text Box: MANAGING THE REMAINIG RISK

explains the need to manage the remaining or residual risk

The lower section of the model then takes you through step by step how to manage the remaining risk and those who may be affected. Each box is described below along with their sub-processes:

Entry Health Checks are to establish a baseline for a potential or existing worker and assess whether the worker is fit enough to do the job, and to identify any health issues which might affect the workers ability to do the job safely.

This box is divided into 3 processes:

1. Fitness For Work - checks required to set a ‘baseline’ measure for ongoing checks which are part of a planned health surveillance programme; or checks required as part of the employers general duties to protect the health and safety of employees and others- for example pre-employment checks for ‘safety critical workers’.

2. Statutory Medical Examinations - health checks specifically required by statute eg for those working with asbestos

3. Health promotion - general health promotion involving giving advice and education to your workforce to explain the benefits of, for example, enjoying a healthy diet; taking regular exercise; drinking sensibly and stopping smoking.

Risk control guides you through the procedures that need to be carried out to reduce and control the risk to the worker or others. This would include undertaking a risk assessment of the relevant work activities.

This box is divided into 3 processes:

1. Hierarchy of Control - When carrying out your risks assessment, to help you to identify the best way to control the risk, a ‘hierarchy of control measures’ has been developed. You need to adopt solutions from the top of the hierarchy before considering those lower down.

2. Equipment Management – Detail of equipment/tools management and maintenance to ensure that they do not contribute to the risk of exposure to health issues.

3. Education and Training – Covers the legal obligation to provide information and training on health and safety to all employees who need it, including full time staff, new recruits and part-timers

On going heath checks identify if any employee have early symptoms of deteriorating health, these also help check the control measures established in the risk control section are working.

This box is divided into 3 processes:

1. Health Surveillance –The process involving a range of strategies and methods to detect and assess the early signs of adverse effects on the health of workers exposed to certain health hazards; and subsequently acting on the results

2. Health Monitoring - Generally used where law does not require health surveillance, but where the employer would like to carry out simple checks for ‘reassurance’ that the protective measures in place are effective. Health monitoring does not lead to a diagnosis. However it allows information to be collected from your employees and when reviewed this may help to identify potential problems with your control measures.

3. Self-Checks - Iinvolve workers carrying out self inspections to identify any issues of ill health. In general self-checks will complement one of the other methods of ongoing health-checks.

Back to Work provides detail on methods of assisting employees back to their normal work if they have been or about to go on sick leave.

This box is divided into 2 processes:

Back to Work Plan – Detail on structure and content of a back to work plan and how to implement it.
Monitoring Sickness Absence – A CD based management tool which records sickness absence and processes within the back to work plan. (The final version is awaiting publication and will be available very shortly – it will be circulated to all pilotees once published.)