Occupational medicine helps to promote and maintain workplace health and safety through accident and illness prevention, health education, occupational disease prevention, the establishment and implementation of health and safety standards, monitoring and management of recognized hazards in the work-place environment and treatment of work related injury and illness. Ergonomics consulting, Independent Medical Examinations, Functional Capacity Evaluations, general risk assessments and screenings such as pre-employment, return to work, job transfer and post sick leave assessments are also utilized in occupational medicine.

Various factors in the workplace which may cause poor health:

• Physical: noise, vibration, electricity, pressure extremes, heat and cold.
• Psycho-social: stress, monotony, pressure, working environment.
• Mechanical and Ergonomic: posture, movement, repetitive actions, equipment, illumination and visibility.
• Chemical: liquids, dust, fumes, fibers, mists, gases, vapors.
• Biological: insects, mites, molds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria, viruses.

Occupational medicine is important to successful businesses:

• Helps with mounting worker's compensation claims which may substantially influence insurance premiums.
• Improves company efficiency.
• Decreases staff turnover.
• Increases productivity and moral.
• Improves company image in the workforce and community by promoting health awareness.
• Helps with rising costs of sickness absence.