People with jobs in occupational health serve a vital role in modern working environments. Their jobs are multi-faceted and they can help to protect people’s wellbeing.
According to one expert, as well as the other issues they deal with, those with occupational health jobs should consider the risk of strokes among employees. Writing in Safety and Health Practitioner magazine, Dr Chris Ide suggested that while this medical issue may not be at the top of most practitioners’ list of workplace health concerns, its incidence is common and “likely to become more so with changes in retirement age legislation”.
The expert claimed that, with this in mind, it is important for those with jobs in occupational health to help develop “robust return-to-work policies and procedures”. This will benefit sufferers, he stated.
Dr Ide cited Neurological Alliance statistics, which suggested that there are around ten million people in the UK with a neurological diagnosis and some of these are crippled.
He remarked: “Stroke is not often considered in occupational health and safety circles – probably because very few occupations carry an increased risk of stroke, and, more importantly, it is associated with the old, who do not tend to feature heavily in the workplace.”
However, the number of over 60/65s in the workplace will carry on rising, so those with occupational health jobs may find themselves on the “front line”, the medical specialist claimed.
According to Dr Ide, the risk of strokes may be greater among individuals who have little control over the demands of their work.
Information provided by the NHS suggests that the possibility of strokes can be reduced if people eat a healthy diet, take regular exercise, drink alcohol in moderation and do not smoke. Also, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels with medication can lower the risk further.
Strokes are caused when the blood supply to part of the brain is disrupted.