One of the roles of the Occupational Health and Safety Unit (OHSU) is to advise staff and their managers of the possible impact of work on their health and welfare, and possible effects of ill-health on their ability to perform their work.
Occupational Health (OH) referrals should always be made if an occupational health opinion is considered to be relevant. OH advice can include areas such as whether a health problem is related to work, the likely course that an illness will take, matters related to the Disability Discrimination Act, management of sickness absence and staff member’s capability for work.
Referrals to the Occupational Health Advisor (OHA) can be made in two ways:
A member of staff who has not been referred by their School/Service but who would like advice on a health matter that affects his/her work, can self-refer to Occupational Health. It is important to emphasise that the OHSU should not be contacted in place of the person’s GP, or for treatments.
OH advice may include guidance concerning a health issue affecting work, sickness absence, planning a return to work, or guidance regarding requirement for adjustments in the workplace.
To initiate a self-referral, please e-mail occupationalhealthandsafety@uel.ac.uk
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on all employers to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their staff. Managers need to ensure that an individual's health is not being harmed by their work. They should also be aware how an individual's health status can affect their work performance.
Staff should be referred to OHSU if the manager identifies a possible health issue that is likely to have an ongoing effect on work attendance or performance. Individuals can also be referred whilst they are attending work, if their performance appears to be affected.
Some of the most common reasons for management referrals are listed below:
Please note that referrals to the OHSU should not occur for cases, which are clearly non-health related and could be more appropriately dealt with through following managing performance procedures and guidelines. Your HR Manager would be best suited to advise on such issues.
The OH team can provide further advice on the referral process if a manager is unsure whether to refer an individual or not.
To initiate a referral, a management referral form should be completed fully. The form is available from the link management referral form. This form has been designed to assist managers in providing sufficient information and specifying the type of advice they are seeking when making a referral to the OHSU.
The manager has the responsibility to advise the employee of the reason(s) for the OH referral and to make the necessary arrangements for the member of staff to be referred. It is important to emphasise that all OH management referrals must be made with the full knowledge of the employee and that s/he understands the rationale behind it.
The completed form should then be sent electronically to occupationalhealthandsafety@uel.ac.uk
On receipt of a referral form, the OHSU will determine the most appropriate referral route. This can include:
It is important that the OHSU are given all relevant facts about a case to ensure that objective advice is given, based on a full understanding of the issues of concern to the referring manager.
In summary, the manager’s responsibilities are:
The OHSU will then contact the individual and an appointment for consultation will be arranged.
It should be noted that the role of the OHSU is purely advisory, both to the manager and employee, and is in no way enforcing or disciplinary.
The OHA will always act impartially and independently. After the appointment the OHA will issue a report providing guidance/advice to the manager and the member of staff. The report will not favour either the employee or employer.
All the contents of the report are concerned with matters of occupational health and fitness and will not contain confidential medical details. The type of information that the OHA is likely to include in a report is:
The OHA is available to discuss any responses which managers feel need further clarification to enable them to take the appropriate action.
The Occupational Health Unit is staffed by registered health practitioners and provides a confidential service. This means that personal information is treated in medical confidence, and not passed on, unless the employee gives consent. This will only be breached if information is considered to pose a significant risk to health and safety of the individual or others.
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