Health & Safety (H&S)
H&S - Occupational Health Solutions
OutThere provide Outsourced H&S/Occupational Health Solutions to a wide range of organisations. We provide ad hoc H&S/Occupational Health advice through to a fully Outsourced H&S/Occupational Health/Wellbeing function. We have a panel of professionals to fulfil your every need.
Why Outsource Occupational Health?
- Let the “experts” do it! A dedicated “business partner” to advise your organisation on all aspects of Occupational Health and Compliance at Board and Operational level.
- Reduced absenteeism - It is evidenced that formalising a clear sickness absence and return to work strategy reduces sickness absence costs.
- Flexibility - Instant access to a team of experts that may not, as a standalone function be required or affordable on a full time basis.
- Emotional Detachment – A third party can be more objective as there is no personal relationships. Employees often struggle to engage with their line managers regarding sickness absence matters.
- Reputation – Placing value in Occupational Health demonstrates commitment to your employees.
- Data Collection – Outsourcing OH ensures the provision of quality and accurate data recording from a qualified OH Adviser outlining patterns of absence and interpreting their cause.
Is it time you considered H&S/Occupational Health as part of your overall business strategy?
If you require immediate advice, flexible or retained H&S/Occupational Health support. We have everything you need to succeed.
From completing DSE/workstation assessments through to design and delivery of your sickness absence management process or educating your leaders on H&S/OH in the workplace, our H&S division can share their expertise as and when you need it, giving you that valuable time back to manage your business.
Health & Safety laws apply to ALL businesses
All employers have a duty and responsibility to provide a safe and comfortable working environment. This is regardless of your employees’ workplace, be it home, remote, field or office based.
Health & Safety Management should not be a second thought. It is a straight up responsibility and involves practical steps that protect people from harm and at the same time protects the future success and reputation of your business.
How we define Occupational Health?
Occupational Health is where the workload/workplace can affect an individual’s health & wellbeing or flipping it around where an individual’s personal health & lifestyle can affect their performance.
(OH) promotes and maintains the health and wellbeing of your employees. There must be a positive relationship between an employee’s work and their health.
“Elite Employers” recognise that managing and caring for their people is equally as important as controlling financial and capital resources. Developing a healthy work culture and adopting a systematic approach to OH will contribute to an organisation’s success. Let’s face it our people should be our greatest assets.
Health & Safety/Occupational Health Services
Our H&S/Occupational Health project team provides a wide range of support services which include:
DSE and Workstation Assessments
Remote working is more common than ever! “Winging it” is no longer an acceptable excuse. Office based and remote workers MUST be DSE and Workstation Assessed.
OutThere’s Health & Safety division are able to complete the assessments both on site or virtually to ensure compliance and comfort is met.
The entire workstation must be assessed including equipment, furniture and work conditions. It is the sole responsibility of the employer to protect all workers from the health risks associated with working with display screen equipment (DSE) such as PC’s, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Incorrect usage of DSE or poorly designed work environments can lead to musculoskeletal issues as well as fatigue and eye strain.
We provide feedback between the employer and employee making sure issues are corrected in a timely manner.
Pregnancy and New Mother Risk Assessments
OutThere can partner with your organisation and conduct the applicable risk assessment process, ensuring that you are protecting the Health, Safety & Wellbeing of new and expectant mothers in the workplace.
Being pregnant or a new mother does not prevent you from working and developing your career. Many women work while they are pregnant and return to work whilst they are breastfeeding. In many workplaces there are risks which may affect the health and safety of expectant and new mothers.
Fitness to Work Assessments
‘Fit to work’ or ‘fitness for work’ is an assessment performed to assess if employees can safely carry out a specific job or task. It is important that employees can safely perform the duties necessary for their job without injury. It is not the intention to exclude a person from a job but to make and necessary reasonable adjustments or modifications to the job to allow the employee to work efficiently and safely.
Our H&S/OH division can assess physical, mental capacities, sensory acuity, and level of skills for most industries but specifically to determine fitness for work in safety-critical environments – such as transport, food safety, and clinical healthcare. We would then typically report on one of the three possible outcomes: Fit, Unfit, or Fit with restrictions. We can also advise and assess fitness to work regarding ill-health capability dismissal or ill-health retirement.
Workplace Adjustments
OutThere Health & Safety can recommend temporary or permanent changes to the workplace or workspace (often referred to as ‘reasonable adjustments’) to enable someone with a physical or mental health condition or disability to work effectively and safely.
We are also able to make recommendations on ergonomic issues and workplace design.
Educate your leaders on H&S/Occupational Health in the Workplace
The starting point for any business aiming to become an “Elite Employer” is to educate their leaders on understanding the processes surrounding H&S/Occupational Health in the Workplace. Our modules include:
- Absence Management – including effective Return to Work Interviews.
- Laws and Regulation Compliance.
- Recognising the difference between Work Related Ill Health and Non Work Related Ill Health.
- The Problems of Presenteeism in the Workplace.
- What it takes to become a “healthy” employer.
Absence Management / Long Term Sickness and Return to Work Plans
Employee absence comes at a significant cost to many businesses.
We can advise and develop a sickness absence management policy and undertake sickness absence consultations, giving you advice on a case by case basis and assessing an employee’s fitness for work.
Employees may of course be sick from time to time. However, employers should remember that most absence is genuine and that employees often need support in their recovery from illness.
Further meetings or investigations are essential in the following scenarios:
- Where an employee has multiple occasions of short-term sickness absence
- When an employee is underperforming due to an underlying health condition
- Where long term sickness absence lasts several weeks or more
- When an employee returns to work following a long period of sickness absence
- We would always recommend that following any period of long-term sickness absence, implementing a return-to-work programme, offering flexible working where possible can form part of a very engaging and seamless return-to-work plan.
It will also reduce the risk of discrimination or unfair dismissal claims.
Our OH experts are able to intervene and assess employees during long-term sickness absence, advise on likely timescales of absence and promote an effective return to work plan, giving structure and advice regarding potential phased returns.
Stress Audits
Stressed behaviours manifest and have damaging effects to the fabric of any organisation.
Stress impacts employee engagement in terms of motivation and commitment.Stressed people make more mistakes, have more accidents, have trouble with problem-solving and often lose visibility of the business goals.
OutThere can undertake a ‘stress audit’ to guide organisations/employers on measures to control mental health risks, most common areas are excessive work pressures, engrained cultures, bullying, and harassment. We work with the HSE Management Standards which help identify and manage the 6 areas of work that can affect stress levels – demands, control, support, relationships, role, and change.
Assessing where a person’s work has affected their health and what action should be taken to support the individual and prevent recurrence in other workers.
Health Needs Assessments
This is a simple way to gather data on the health of a company’s workforce. Employers can get an acurate clear picture of where to invest in terms of Employee Health & Wellbeing.
Be warned! This process will highlight problem areas. BUT on the positive side, it will engage employees and management.
In our experience, using an external organisation for this project will pay dividends. 73% of employees choose to refrain from discussing personal Health & Wellbeing directly with their employer.
It is important to understand that this process is anonymised and the information gathered will provide details of the overall health of the workforce, along with opinions of company culture and current provision for Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
Risk Profiling
Risk Profiling is a structured approach to risk management. If done effectively, should provide companies with a detailed picture of all potential risks to its operation.
Our Health & Safety team can identify and eliminate/minimise health risks in the workplace. A detailed report is provided covering type and level of risk, likelihood, and level of disruption, costs associated with each risk, and the effectiveness and cost-saving if controls were put in place.
Risk profiles must be conducted frequently due to continuing internal and external factors.
Drug & Alcohol Misuse
We can advise organisations on employee issues such as alcohol and drug misuse, signposting employees to external support in “dealing with addiction” and offering confidential advice. We advise on the legitimacy and practicalities of drug and alcohol testing, the development of policy and contacting respected third-party testing firms.
Discrimination and Compliance Checks
Discrimination can take many forms from discriminatory hiring practices to cyberbullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. OutThere H&S division ensures employers are fulfilling their duties under the Equality Act 2010 (including disability, pregnancy, and age discrimination).
Employers are not allowed by law to discriminate, harass or victimise employees because of protected characteristics: Age; Sex; Sexual Orientation; Disability; Religion or Belief; Marriage or Civil Partnership; Race; Gender Reassignment, and Pregnancy & Maternity.
We also ensure full compliance with other health and safety regulations, including duties to report occupational injuries and diseases under RIDDOR.
