Interpreting your occupational health report

Once you have received your employee’s occupational health (OH) report from our team, you will need to interpret and act on the advice contained within it.

The OH report will provide clear guidance on how best to support your employee, and we want to help ensure that you know how to interpret occupational health advice.

One important thing to note is that reports are issued strictly in line with consent from employees – and there are no exceptions to this rule.

And remember that our reports are only advisory. It’s important to bear in mind that, as the employer, only you are in a position to decide what is reasonable and what should be considered.

However, we would recommend considering the following questions:

Is an adjustment practical?

Workplace adjustments can be a big factor in helping employees get back to work, but as the employer you will have to decide whether adjustments suggested are practical and reasonable within your workplace.

Is it practical from a business perspective?

While an adjustment might benefit an individual, you will be best placed to determine whether it will be workable within your business practices.

Does it align with your internal policies?

Your organisation will have policies about how, when and where staff should work. You must decide whether a suggested adjustment will fit within these policies, and how they might be varied.

Will it cause disruption?

While an adjustment might help the employee who is the subject of the report, there’s a possibility it could disrupt the work of colleagues.

Will it help other people in the workplace?

An adjustment might seem excessive for one employee alone, but is there a possibility that others may benefit from its introduction as well?

Is it cost prohibitive?

Not all adjustments will be financially achievable in all workplaces, and it’s up to you to decide on a case-by-case basis.

 

Login to your case management system here.