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Occupational Health

Lorett77

Hi. Has anyone any thoughts on what to expect for an OH assessment. My manager is making the referral. Any advice they can give to help work, would be perfect but I haven’t a clue if that is what OH do? Is there any useful questions to raise? Many thanks 

  • in reply to NAS51275

    I went to HR and complained. HR sent a letter to my manager citing the Equalities and Disability Act. All suggestions then put in place.

    If you live in the UK and need adjustments that cost money you can self refer to Access to Work. It is a government funded team. I had £20,000 support over two years to buy equipment and it has to be agreed by your workplace, as they have to buy equipment first and then claim the money back.

     What you ask OH is only limited by what you think you need. Think about whether you need more 1-1 contact with your manager,advanced warning about inspections etc. What you ask is dependent on the job you do, and whether you need more time,explanations,or resources,to do it.

    Good luck. Nice process for many of us.

  • in reply to NAS51275

    For example - I needed breaks. I needed processing time and writing down of some key areas. I also needed a small trolley to push my equipment around. I needed headphones that were specific to me as I struggled with sharing equipment with others.

    The best thing to do is to frame your questions around the areas that you have difficulty with. OH will have some ideas,but you are the only one who knows what things need to be in place e.g. I was perepetetic so I needed a big reduction to the number of places I went out to work in. My manager put it all inr place because when he didn't do anything I went to H and comllained tha

  • My referral to OH was supportive. Before you go think about your job and any areas that there could be adaptions for you. We are all different so OH is limited by their experience and they will respond to what you need.

  • in reply to Iain

    Many thanks. My manager and senior manager are aware and v supportive. We are going to make the OH referral on Monday. I wanted advice as a colleague had an OH referral for another matter and the recommendations were v limited 

  • Lorett77 said:
    Has anyone any thoughts on what to expect for an OH assessment

    Have you disclosed your autism to HR yet? If not I would consider doing it now to make sure you have an additional layer of legal protection just in case.

    There is a decent advice article from ACAS about this here: https://www.acas.org.uk/using-occupational-health-at-work

    Good luck

  • I would be open and honest with the OH clinician. They are there to support you and your health in the work environment. They are usually responsible for suggesting any adjustments.

    Your manager can choose not to implement the advice but legally they must be able to justify their decision.