What is occupational risk?
Occupational risk refers to work-related hazards that are likely to have a negative effect on employee’s health.
Employer’s obligations
The assessment of risk taken by the employee when performing tasks for the company is the employer’s responsibility provided for in, among others, the Labour Code. The employer is obliged to determine the probability of hazard effects occurring in the workplace and to communicate this information to the employees. The employer is also obliged to strive to reduce the occupational risk.
Management of health and safety at work vs. occupational risk assessment
The occupational risk assessment is not only a legal requirement but it can also be a great tool for managing health and safety at work. Through early detection of occupational hazards, the risk assessment can play a significant part in keeping the employees in good health throughout the entire period of their occupational activity. Moreover, it can be a bridge between the information collected by Medicover on health problems occurring in the client’s company and the condition of the workstation which may cause these problems. Therefore, the occupational risk assessment makes it possible to easily identify the reasons for accidents at work, occupational diseases as well as sick absenteeism and inefficient presence at works, i.e. presenteeism.
Client and Medicover – common goal
The aim of Medicover is to keep the client’s employees in good health. A carefully conducted risk assessment process and the cooperation with the client on the implementation of recommended improvement activities can produce an effect perfectly matching both the health and safety at work policy of the client and the Medicover health promotion policy. The occupational risk assessment conducted by Medicover creates a proactive approach to the prevention of negative effects of occupational hazards that allows for employees’ health problems from two sides: the medical one and with respect to the condition of health and safety at work in the client’s company.
How the occupational risk assessment is conducted
The occupational risk in the client’s company is assessed after the previous analysis of health reports in a specific organization. This makes it possible to inspect the workstations thoroughly with regard to potential or already existing negative effects on employee’s health and to show the appropriate directions of improving the working conditions the client so as to reduce these negative effects. We inspect workstations, prepare the photographic documentation and, in accordance with the needs, we take measurements of noise and illumination levels, microclimate and we assess the energy expenditure. Next, we choose the appropriate method of occupational risk assessment for specific workstations and we assess the risk. Finally, the report is prepared that includes the full documentation regarding the occupational risk assessment together with the recommendations on the activities aimed at improving the working conditions.
The specialist in occupational risk assessment visits up to ten workstations in the client’s company in one day (the number depends on the complexity of activities performed by the employee at a specific workstation). The report on the inspection of workstations is prepared in one month.
When preparing the documentation on the occupational risk assessment, Medicover draws not only on the knowledge of the specialist in occupational risk assessment but also on the specialist knowledge of occupational healthcare doctors, physiotherapists, work psychologists and ergonomics specialists. It helps to look at the workstation assessed in terms of safety and hygiene at work, ergonomics as well as medical aspects.
The final document that the client receives meets legal requirements and also indicates the activities that will help to reduce the costs related to the working conditions, to improve the quality of work performed at a specific workstations and increase work efficiency.
Training and consultations
We also offer training within the scope of occupational risk assessment for:
- the team assessing the occupational risk
- employees
as well as consultations on the occupational risk assessment.