The answer to this may seem obvious.... but what I'm after is a definitive list of what services an employer should reasonably expect from an occupational health provider. It might be interesting to see what people come back with as there seems to be different ideas of what exactly occupational health professionals can provide. Thanks in advance.

Can't quite imagine what the problem is here. It's similar to choosing a safety services provider. Overall quality and areas of competence vary tremendously. Some will specialise, others will consider themselves to be able to deal with anything that comes their way - if the price is right! Does it sound familiar yet? So the answer is to shop around. Ask for evidence. Define your own spec & compare with what is on offer, and the price? As to what is 'reasonable to expect' that is an answer that can come only from those writing the cheques. You might get comments here about what some would like to get, or just a list of everythig they can think of, but you should decide what you want and go look for a competent provider. The list above is a great example. HAV screeing is no use to those who are not troubled by this problem, similarly nightshift issues for those working only daytime hours. Hep B and tetanus immunisation is no use for most office or shop workers etc etc. Don't try to fit an Occ Health professional to your needs. Do it the other way round - define your needs, then find a provider who can deal with that. Ian

I think the answer lies somewhere in between what others have posted. In the first place what you will need - and this refers particularly to health surveillance - will depend upon the nature of your business. For example, if there is no noise exposure then would you need to do audiometry. However, you might need to do skin health surveillance if they were potentially exposure to chemicals. It the chemical exposure (inhalation, skin and ingestion) could result in a risk of systemic effects, then you would need to consider biological monitoring. A good occupational health provider will wish to discuss with you what you do and the potential issues for health that might arise from this. They should then be able to formulate a proposal to provide you with what they would recommend. If you then had three or four such proposals you could make up your own mind what will be right for you. Chris

Thanks everyone. The issue is a little complicated and politically charged at my employers. I don't want to go into the detail, but the list has proved useful and you've prompted my thought processes a little with the other comments. Thanks again