We have been advised by an employees Lymphoma Association Clinical Nurse Specialist of the side effects of his treatment and his suggested phased return to work which I fully agree with. My question for advice to my peers is that understanding that their immune system has been severely affected by his treatment and although their ability to fight infection has significantly improved, they can still be prone to infections for a few months compared to a normal healthy person of the same age, what further arrangements could / should I be looking to implement to protect them from possible further infection while at work? With that, I understand they could catch and infection from anyone outside work; however, his place of work is a machine shop as an inspector of quality, with a machine shop having coolant systems which are fully controlled, potentially sharp edged components just machined that he is likely to handle and physical conditions that could affect his energy levels. Any advice from anyone having come across this type of issue are greatly appreciated.

You risk treading on dangerous ground if you start making enquiries around your employee, even though this is well-intentioned. It's a bit like those who seek advice on what to do with pregnant or disabled workers - surely the best thing is to talk with them! It is the individual who has the experience of your workplace and their work tasks/environment etc. They have contact with and can get advice from GP, hospital consultants, LA and other specialist nurses etc. They also know how they feel and will have been briefed on what to expect, what to worry about, signs and symptoms etc. Make use of their contacts and put the individual at the centre; make them the communication hub etc. Of course, there is the {hopefully small} possibility that this will be abused but let's assume not, and you can keep a wary eye for that.