Resources on Occupational Health

We’ve put together some informative and credible places to go for articles and guidance on matters relating to occupational health and wellbeing of your staff.

Mental health support for managers and employees

Practical guides for managers supporting people with mental health problems at work:

Manage Mental Health

A practical guide to managing and supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace.

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Supporting Mental Health in the workplace

Acas guidance on supporting mental health in the workplace.

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Mental Health Support in the Workplace

Advice from mental health charity Mind on how to support employees’ and colleagues’ mental health.

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Mental Health in Business

Free resources to help improve mental wellbeing in the workplace, which can be read online or downloaded.

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Mental health support for small business owners

Advice for small business owners and team leaders.

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There are also some good self-help resources for cognitive behavioural strategies that should help manage any stress, anxiety or depression symptoms:

Top Tips for Staying Well at Work

Easy tips to help employees stay well at work including reclaiming your lunch break, introducing boundaries between work and home and even whistling while you work!

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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Self Help

Self help and therapy resources including worksheets and mp3 audio recordings.

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How to Manage Stress

A really useful booklet from Mind on what stress is, how to manage it and get support.

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Work Related Stress

The UK lost 17 million working days to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the year 2021 to 2022 according to the latest data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
An estimated 914 thousand workers suffered with mental ill-health relating to their work, accounting for half (51%) of all work-related ill-health cases (1.8 million) for the year.

Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has many useful resources to help you meet your obligations on preventing workplace stress, risk assessment and tools to help manage stress at work.

Guidance for organisations on managing stress at work

Step-by-step guidance on how to use the HSE’s Management Standards approach in your workplace.

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Talking Toolkit to Prevent Work-Related Stress

Six conversations to identify and manage stress at work.

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How to be Mentally Healthy at Work

Learn how you can be mentally healthy at work, with suggestions for what you can do and where you can get support if you experience poor mental health.

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Tools and Templates for Dealing with Stress at Work

Tools and templates associated with the Management Standards process free to use and share with colleagues.

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Musculoskeletal disorders

The top causes of short-term sickness absence are minor illnesses, such as colds and flu, followed by musculoskeletal injuries, back pain and stress. Musculoskeletal disorders can be caused by performing manual handling tasks or working on computer screens - DSE (Display Screen Equipment).

Manual Handling at Work

Overview on manual handling at work, DSE safety and musculoskeletal disorders.

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Manual Handling risk assessment tools

A series of tools produced by the HSE to help employers properly assess manual handling tasks.

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Simple Manual Handling risk filters

These filters help you identify low-risk manual handling and decide if you need to carry out a more detailed risk assessment.

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Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Ergonomic Computer Workstation Set-Up Advice

How to reduce the risk of developing Musculo-skeletal symptoms.

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Laptop Workstation Set-Up

How to reduce the risk of developing Musculo-skeletal symptoms.

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The Art of Sitting

How to find the correct sitting posture at your desk.

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Solutions for Bad Posture

Find out how to solve bad posture.

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Homeworking and DSE

Advice on providing a good workstation set-up whilst working at home.

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Health surveillance

Health surveillance allows for early identification of ill health and helps identify any corrective action needed. It may be required by law if your employees are exposed to noise or vibration, solvents, fumes, dusts, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health, or if they work in compressed air. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides advice on risk assessment, control measures and health surveillance requirement.

Health Surveillance and Occupational Health

Information on all aspects of health surveillance including understanding your business needs, managing risk and setting up a health surveillance programme.

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Health Surveillance Resources

Industry specific guidance and case studies.

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Occupational Health

Key conclusions from a 2022 Society of Occupational Medicine report identified the positive links between employee health and wellbeing to successful business performance. It indicated that highly effective companies will often have a culture and philosophy that values health and that wellbeing strategies need to encompass the work environment, culture and interpersonal relationships.

Return to work advice for employees

Advice for employees on a flexible approach for getting better and back to work.

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The Occupational Health value proposition

This report provides a comprehensive analysis and evidence review of the value of occupational health.

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Occupational Health Guide for company directors

A guide for company directors and commissioners of service.

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Occupational Health Guide for managers

A guide for line managers and HR professionals

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Occupational Health Guide for workers

A guide for workers and their representatives

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