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What is an Occupational & Environmental Physician?

Occupational & Environmental Physicians are highly trained specialists who provide a wide range of services relating to the health of workers and employers. The specialty of Occupational Medicine focuses on the inter-relationships between workers, their workplaces and their work practices. The specialty encompasses prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. It deals with health issues of the individual worker, populations of workers, their interaction with their environment and the “health” of the employing organisation.  Occupational & Environmental Physicians consider medical issues within the wider context of their psycho-social, industrial and motivational frameworks.

In summary, Occupational & Environmental Physicians focus on the health effects of the relationship between workers and their work lives, at both an individual and an organisational level.

An Occupational & Environmental Physician may work for the government, the military or a large organisation. Work in private practice is common, providing a range of services including patient treatment, workplace assessments, health surveillance and supervision of vocational rehabilitation. Occupational & Environmental Physicians also provide independent medical opinions on issues such as the worker’s fitness to perform certain work duties; the work-relatedness of a worker’s condition. They may also perform worker impairment assessments, or provide advice to companies on issues such as illness or injury prevention strategies, or the management of sickness absence.

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