Occupational Health Centers: Its Roles and Purposes in Empowering the Workforce of India

In 1948, a legislation act was crafted to regulate working conditions, prevent exploitation, and safeguard the health of workers, particularly in factories and docks. Why are we still discussing an act that was passed ages ago you may ask. Well, a few weeks back, a 34 woman’s braid got stuck in heavy mixer machinery in a factory in Bengaluru and the woman was beheaded. In a cement factory in Telangana, 1 person died and 2 were injured because of a cement mixture collapse. These are just two instances of negligence in factories. A government data report revealed that every day in India, 3 workers die. Still thinking about the point of the legislation act? 

The act, although implemented in most factories through the establishment of an occupational health center, still is at dormancy because of its negligence and failure in implementing the right practices, and protecting the rights of workers. An occupational health center is not designed to preserve the health and well-being of workers alone, it has other roles and responsibilities, which if neglected can lead to the unfortunate accidents that you read above. 

In this blog, you will explore the purposes and roles of an occupational health center in detail.

Role of the Occupational Health Center 

• Monitoring of Health: 

An occupational health center engages in the systematic surveillance of the health of workers. These monitoring activities ensure a safe and healthy work ecosystem. The center conducts evaluations and analyses to identify risks in the work environment. It is also responsible for the regular health checkups of the workers, essential in catching the early signs of disease. Further, it also keeps a check on the workplace environment and health-related data, constantly interpreting it to mitigate risks and protect workers. 

• Proactive Health Measures: 

This refers to preventive healthcare measures. The primary role of the occupational health center is to prevent the onset of a disease and eliminate health risks in the workplace. Pre-employment health checks, regular screenings, and vaccinations are a part of this. It helps in the assessment of an individual’s health and helps in the prevention of injuries and illnesses. 

• Workplace Safety and Ergonomics: 

Another role of the occupational health center is to ensure workplace safety and improve existing safety measures. The occupational health center also functions to improve the ergonomic design of the workplace to minimize potential risks, keeping the worker at the center of it all. The occupational health center services also include providing support in the form of rehabilitation after a traumatic workplace incident.

• Occupational Health Education: 

Educating the workers about occupational health, measures to adhere to for their safety, preventive health measures, and informing them of the protocols to be followed, all of these come under occupational health center services. Occupational health center education involves workshops, seminars, training like first aid training, and other specialized training on how to manage working with equipment, safe handling, storage, disposal of materials, etc. Mental health awareness programs, and programs about health and lifestyle are some other educational areas covered. All of these are important to create an empowered workforce and promote a healthy work environment.

• Employee Assistance Programs: 

These programs are designed as a part of the occupational health center services to support workers’ emotional health and other factors that may affect their productivity at work, for instance, substance abuse. There are counseling services available at the occupational health center. Other assistance such as referral to a specialist or suggestions and advice in case of a health issue is also provided. 

Purposes of the Occupational Health Center: 

• Occupational health center services aim to enhance the health and well-being of the workers in an organization. Protection of the health of workers happens in different ways like focusing on the preventive measures primarily to avoid occupational diseases and assess the ergonomics of the factory or dock. Diagnosing any health issues and providing support or referral in critical cases. Intervention, health promotion initiatives, and programs like emergency response training and focusing on creating a culture of health, where workers are conscious of their health and prioritize safety at all times. 
• Other than focusing on health, occupational health center services also empower workers to be more productive. All the healthcare initiatives are directed towards creating healthy individuals as they tend to be more productive and there is a trend of reduced absenteeism. The occupational health center services exist to provide support to the workers, addressing their mental health problems. Recognizing health trends, and keeping up with activities to look after the workers’ overall health to ensure they can be the most productive at work.
• Occupational health center services proactively cover all things related to healthcare and in doing so, it significantly reduces healthcare costs, which is beneficial to both the employers and the workers. It does so by effectively early intervention, managing people’s health crises, thereby managing the need for costly medical interventions and optimizing the healthcare resources effectively. 
• Occupational health center services operate based on legal regulatory compliances. It also makes sure that the organization adheres to the legal requirements and framework of how a factory or dock is supposed to operate, the safety measures it has to include, the protection of workers’ rights, etc. In a situation where there is an occurrence of an accident or if any worker suffers due to any negligence, occupational health center services ensure that the worker is provided the right treatment and compensated for their loss. 
• The presence of an OHC nurtures positivity in a place that otherwise seems dull and depressing. The establishment of an OHC fosters a sense of safety in the minds of workers as they can come into work assured that if anything were to happen they would be provided prompt treatment. There is improved trust and improved loyalty to work. Occupational health center services can also lead to a better mental state of the workers which means better productivity.

The legislative act induced OHCs therefore play a critical role in enhancing the health, well-being, and safety of an organization. Current needs require the strengthening of the existing OHCs to contribute to creating a healthier workforce and avoiding unnecessary injuries and deaths. An OHC can bring all of the above-mentioned benefits to employers while focusing on its role in supporting workers and their health.