When (and why) should you engage an occupational health service?

Every employer knows it: sickness absence and the health of your people are part and parcel of working life. But how you handle it as an organisation makes a world of difference. The Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) requires every employer to have a contract with an occupational health service or an occupational health physician. Even so, the question often lingers: when can you call on the occupational health service as an employer, and what exactly for?

Engaging an occupational health service does not have to feel like an administrative obligation. It is an opportunity to get a grip on absence and prevention, and to make your people structurally stronger and more vital. In this article, we set out what to engage the occupational health service for, when it is wise to do so, and how it contributes to long-term employability.

What does the law require an employer to engage an occupational health service for?

The legislation is clear: every employer must be affiliated with a certified occupational health service or a certified occupational health physician. This is not optional, but a compulsory element of good employership. The aim is to ensure that employees always have access to professional support around health, safety and employability. That way, you secure compliance with the Working Conditions Act and your people know their health is taken seriously.

In concrete terms, the occupational health service performs duties such as:

• Carrying out and reviewing the Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E).
• Providing employees with access to an occupational health physician.
• Guidance during sickness absence and return-to-work.
• Conducting a preventive health assessment (PMO).

These are the fixed duties. In practice, however, organisations that also use the occupational health service beyond the statutory framework gain far better control over absence and vitality.

When should you bring in the occupational health service straight away in case of sickness absence?

With every sickness notification, the role of the occupational health service kicks in. From the very first weeks, there is often contact between the employee and the case manager or occupational health physician. The aim is clear: to explore what someone is still able to do, which steps towards recovery are possible, and what guidance is needed to return to work in a sustainable way. Absence then becomes a process in which the employee remains actively involved.

For employers, it is worth knowing that the occupational health service also supports your statutory obligations along the way. The occupational health physician and/or case manager helps to draw up the problem analysis on time and advises on the action plan required under the Gatekeeper Improvement Act (Wet verbetering poortwachter). By involving the occupational health service from day one, you can be sure you are meeting your obligations and that the employee receives the right support.

How does the occupational health service support long-term or complex health issues?

Sometimes you are dealing with more than a brief spell of illness. Think of mental health complaints, burnout or chronic conditions. In those situations, the role of the occupational health service becomes even more important. The occupational health physician and case manager look not only at medical limitations, but above all at what an employee is still able to do and which interventions can support recovery. Where useful, the occupational health service can refer people on to specialists, such as psychologists or occupational experts, to strengthen the recovery process.

On top of that, the occupational health service is responsible for safeguarding the process in cases of long-term absence. That means documents such as the problem analysis and the action plan are drawn up on time. The occupational health service also monitors whether the agreements between employer and employee are being honoured. This creates not just clarity, but also trust. It gives employees the space to work towards sustainable recovery, step by step.

Can you also engage the occupational health service preventively, without anyone being off sick?

Many employers believe the occupational health service only comes into play once someone reports sick. That is a misconception. Engaging an occupational health service as an employer can be hugely valuable on a preventive basis too.

Examples of preventive use include:

• Preventive consultations, where employees can raise concerns in a low-threshold setting.
• Training sessions and workshops on workload, communication or work–life balance.
• The resilience scan, which gives insight into the physical, mental and social resilience of your people.

By making use of interventions like these, you prevent small signals from growing into long-term absence. Prevention always pays off, both for the employee, who feels supported, and for the organisation, which keeps absence costs in check.

What role does the occupational health service play in the RI&E and the PMO?

One of the cornerstones of the Working Conditions Act is the RI&E. It maps every occupational risk, from physical strain to psychosocial workload. The occupational health service helps employers not only to draw up this document, but also to review and improve it. That way, you make sure risks do not stay hidden, but are clearly identified and addressed.

The occupational health service also supports the preventive health assessment (PMO). This assessment gives employees insight into their own health and helps organisations spot trends. Typical components of a PMO are:

• Physical health (such as fitness and lifestyle).
• Mental resilience (stress, concentration, work–life balance).
• Working conditions (workload, ergonomics, safety).

By analysing the outcomes, you gain concrete tools as an employer to develop your vitality policy further.

Occupational health with attention and action, from day one

An occupational health service is more than a tick in the Working Conditions Act box. At Capability, we see it as our job to truly take work off your hands as an employer and to give your people the guidance they need. We do that through task delegation: our occupational health physicians carry the ultimate responsibility for medical questions, while our specially trained case managers take charge of everything else. No long waiting times, but swift interventions, a single point of contact, and a broad view on both absence and prevention. That is how we keep your organisation healthy, your people employable and you, as an employer, firmly in control