What is Occupational Medicine?

Occupational Medicine is a clinical medical specialty that deals with the interface between work and health.

Occupational Physicians combine their knowledge of basic science (e.g. noise exposure and effects on hearing, radiation exposure effects, toxicology) with an understanding of legal issues surrounding workplace safety and employment equality. Insight into how business works and what constitutes good management is also essential.

Occupational Medicine involves preventative programmes such as immunisations, health surveillance (e.g. audiology for noise exposure), rehabilitation of workers with an illness or disability, and advising organisations (governmental and business) on how to best optimise the health of their most important asset, their employees.  

Occupational Medicine also has various subspecialties, such as Diving Medicine and Aviation Medicine.