Corporate Health Services

Occupational Medicine
There has rarely been a more pertinent time for businesses to realise the value of good Occupational Medicine advice. It is clear that major health problems can have a significant impact on business and that strategic planning ahead of time and the availability of immediate medical expertise can minimise risk.

During both times of crisis and in planning for emergencies, Occupational Medicine physicians can assess staff risk (for example, in the office, community or when travelling), and can advise on appropriate measures which may both optimise business performance and reduce staff anxiety. Remembering that at all times health problems can still significantly affect productivity, minimising any effect from these will lead to optimal outcomes. These problems can be broken down into:

1. An individual's health problem potentially affecting work.
For example, alcoholism, poorly controlled diabetes, back pain, excessive stress, and over-use of diet pills can all affect the ability of the individual at work.

2. Work potentially affecting staff health.
For example, repetitive strain injury, tenosinovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, high stress levels, infection (Hepatitis B) and injury, including violence, particularly outside Hong Kong.

An overall assessment of the working environment and advising staff, through talks and seminars, can help with general risk reduction within a company, while individual problems are likely to need specific advice.

In summary, Occupational Medicine is a medical specialty which focuses both on protecting business from the effects of ill health (thereby potentially increasing productivity); and protecting people against health issues caused by or exacerbated by work, and therefore optimising the work environment and job satisfaction.

Remember, good health = good business.


For more information on how OT&P can help your business please call Dr. Owens on 2521 - 3181.

Managing Stress for Better Health
Living in Hong Kong can be stressful for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is the increasing pressures of work and keeping your job. Economic and political instability and the growing unemployment figures mean that people are working harder and putting in longer hours. This will eventually lead to burnout for the individual and a decrease in productivity for the company. However, there is help at hand. At OT&P, we offer a programme specifically developed for stress reduction and prevention.

The aim of the programme is to help individuals who want to reduce stress levels for better health and work performance; as well as companies who want to improve staff relationships and communication, to improve health and work performance through appropriate stress management.

In a four hour programme participants will learn:

o to identify stress and how the stress response is developed in humans;
o about the physical, mental and emotional effects of long-term stress;
o about optimal beneficial stress versus negative stress;
o how to utilise stress to benefit yourself, as well as your work colleagues;
o about the ABC of stress management;
o how to deal with the stresses related to living and working in Hong Kong's fast-paced business environment.

During the programme, participants will be taken through a number of activities, at the end of which you will learn a life saving 'rapid stress relief' technique.

Programmes can be tailored to specific corporate and individual needs. For more information, please contact Dr. Raymond Ng on 2521 - 3181.

Is Your Computer Damaging Your Health?
With many of us spending increasingly long hours using computers, it is ever more important that everyone not only knows how to, but also uses their PC correctly. Incorrect equipment, positioning and bad working habits can lead to neck/back/upper limb problems, eye fatigue and stress. The Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation came into operation on 4th July 2003 to address this problem. Now the person responsible for the workplace is obliged to have DSE risk assessed, then reduced and to train staff in the safe and healthy way to use their DSE workstations.

The following is provided by the Government's Labour Department:

Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation
The Regulation aims at protecting the safety and health of employees who use display screen equipment at work for prolonged periods of time. The main provisions of the Regulation are as follows: -
a. The person responsible for the workplace shall perform a risk assessment of existing workstations within 14 days after the commencement date. For new workstations, the risk assessments shall be conducted before they are first used by users. The responsible person shall review the assessment if there has been a significant change in the conditions of the previous assessment or in the workstation.
b. The responsible person shall, so far as reasonably practicable, keep a record of all risk assessments, and shall retain that record for a period of at least 2 years after the workstation ceases to be used by any user; and shall produce the record for inspection;
c. The responsible person shall take steps to reduce any risk identified in a risk assessment to the lowest extent as is reasonably practicable;
d. The responsible person shall, so far as reasonably practicable, make available to users a copy of the risk assessment record and the record of actions taken after the assessment;
e. The responsible person shall, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure that the workstations in the workplace are suitable having regard to the safety and health of users of those workstations;
f. An employer shall, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure that a user employed by him is provided with necessary safety and health training in the use of workstations; and
g. A user of a workstation in a workplace shall, so far as reasonably practicable, conform to the system of work and work practice; and comply with the risk reduction measures.

To help to prevent long term health problems from arising and also to help meet the new regulations, our corporate seminars and individual courses (including some for children) address these issues to ensure safe and practical use of your computers.

To register your interest or for further information please email us at central@otandp.com.