Occupational Health strategy needs to be regarded as more valuable within organisations in order to act as a key way of ensuring optimum productivity.

That’s the view of recruitment agency Dextra, which argues that although finding the right person to fulfill the role of Occupational Health Manager might not always be easy – looking for someone who is clinically trained but also aware of the commercial realities of the workplace – it’s important to view the role of occupational health as more than just a cost.

“Occupational health needs to be taken more seriously in the boardrooms at many large businesses. It needs to become part of the overall vision of a company’s future, and not viewed, as it is by many currently, as an additional bottom-line burden,” warns Kate Headley, Director, Dextra Search and Selection.

“It’s not simply the raft of legislation concerning disability and stress that now needs closer and more senior attention; health management policies can reduce sick leave and early retirement, and also make companies more attractive to top talent. Occupational health directors also tend to pay for themselves within the first six months of joining a company,” added Headley.

Ferriday cites the example of Ford, who recently recruited a Head of Medical Services: “Ford has already moved away from using the occupational health function as an in-house treatment service, to something far more focused on adding value.

“Ford, for example, used to face the cost of treatment for musculo-skeletal problems suffered by assembly line workers. Occupational health studies that we’ve carried out have now identified the problem areas and engineers now redesign components or processes in order to alleviate the problem. This is of course cheaper than footing the bill for industrial injuries.”