Blog

With Christmas just around the corner, we are looking forward to a short break.  Our onsite hearing, medical and health assessment services have been in high demand and keeping us very busy.

As a part of the regional trip earlier in the year, our Noise Surveying services continued to grow as more regional clients begin to recognize their legal obligations in relation to the hazard of noise to which they are exposing their employees. A large number of lung function tests were also conducted on the regional trip, mostly as part of Mine Workers Health Surveillance assessments (Mine Health Certificates). 

Matt, our CHP Mobile Services Coordinator, was kept super busy over a number of weeks as he travelled around the Wheatbelt, Albany and Esperance.  He is enjoying excellent working relationships with clients, some of whom he has now visited several times over the last 5 years.

Here in Perth we have also conducted hundreds of WorkCover Hearing Tests, both onsite visiting our clients and utilising our Occupational Medical Assessment services clinic in Subiaco. With the large number of pre-employment medicals being done at the clinic we are anticipating the employment market to tighten again soon.

As mentioned on our earlier blog, we have started a new Health Surveillance program. This is for Substance Exposure, connected with working in Spray Painting and Panel Beating workshops.  Our smash repair clients are more than happy having their employees regularly tested in order to keep on eye on their health and well being.

In August we headed off to the Pilbara and did a massive number of WorkCover Hearing Tests and Mine Health Certificates onsite. Our FIFO Mine Health assessments service is still popular with a number of our clients as they treat us as their on-call staff when compliance assessments become backlogged or due.

A trip to Christmas Island in November saw us carry out nearly 500 fitness for work assessments over a week period. Our client was so impressed with our services and ability to transport our medical gear up there, we will continue to work closely together to ensure any minor ailments are followed up by the employees own physicians.  It came to light for one employee how important his check up was, as it was discovered he had a serious condition that could have proved catastrophic for him either in the workplace or at home, and he required urgent medical attention.

On a lighter note we enjoyed some of the festivities whilst there and really took in the beauty of a such a small island.

As we at Corporate Health Professionals strive to provide further effective onsite hearing, medical, health and safety assessment solutions for you, our valued clients, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers

Mark Mason

How quick did that first 4 months go?!

Although happy we are already looking forward to next Christmas’ holiday as our onsite hearing, medical and health assessment services have been in high demand keeping us quite busy.

The Corporate Health Professionals’ mobile OH&S facility has had the busiest start to a year ever. We have largely completed a Wheatbelt service trip where we conducted over 700 WorkCover Hearing tests for clients on various sites from Albany to Merredin to Geraldton to Perth and nearly everywhere in between.

As a part of the trip our regional Noise Surveying services continued to grow as more regional clients begin to recognize their legal obligations in relation to the hazard of Noise to which they are exposing their  employees.. About 100 Lung function tests were also conducted on the regional trip largely as a part of Mine Workers Health Surveillance assessments (Mine Health Certificates). Somewhat concerning for a couple of clients were the results of vision screens conducted on mobile plant operators indicating a small number of employees who should have been wearing glasses while driving their very expensive equipment, some on public roads.

The Wheatbelt clients this year included a broad range of industry including local government, light industry, manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure support companies and even some mining. Matt, our CHP Mobile Services Coordinator, has indicated that he now enjoys excellent working relationships with clients some of whom he has now visited 3 or 4 times over the last 5 years.

Back here in town (Perth) we have also conducted more WorkCover Hearing Tests, including over 40 Full Audios, and WorkSafe & DMP (Department of Mines and Petroleum) Noise Surveys in the first 4 months than ever before. Our Occupational Medical Assessment services clinic in Subiaco has steadily recovered from a slow 3^rd ¼ last (??)year to be back flat out again. With the number of pre-employments being done at the clinic we are anticipating the employment market to tighten again soon.

We have started new, and progressed several, Health Surveillance programs already this year. These Health Surveillance for Substance Exposure programs, overseen by   Roger Lai,  our Occupational Physician.. have again demonstrated their worth and why they are legally required for workplaces with ‘hazardous substances’. Two of our programs in particular revealed  “double edge sword” results for two clients who had an employees’ health deteriorate badly enough due to exposure (one to isocyanates in spray paint, one to acrylamides) that they have been recommended for re-deployment to a role without exposure. This was particularly tough for the spray painter who has been in the trade since he left school 15 years ago. Unfortunately it was a choice of change or have his work generated health issue become lifestyle and, more than likely ‘life’, threatening which of course is not good for him or our client.

Traditionally the last ¼ of the financial year sees interest in our ergonomic assessment (workstation assessments and manual handling training) services as clients use budgets on issues that are sometimes regarded as secondary in need to those legislated issues such as WorkCover Hearing tests and WorkSafe Noise Surveys. So our ergonomists are anticipating even busier times ahead.

With our annual Perth to the Pilbara mobile OH&S services trip coming up in August we expect the 3^rd ¼ of the year will again see us busy doing more Mine Workers Health Surveillance and WorkCover Hearing tests onsite. Our FIFO Mine Health assessments service is still popular with a number of our clients as they treat us as their on-call staff when compliance assessments become backlogged or due. Late breaking  news….., we have just renewed our support of the Sensear * personal hearing protection technology. We were motivated to do so after a recent Noise Survey at the Perth airport identified an inadequacy of the PHP that was being used by our client. We realized that Sensear ,  a PHP product  that has  Australian Standard, provides suitable level of dB attenuation in a very noisy environment while uniquely enhancing speech recognition allowing for good levels of effective communication utilising Bluetooth, Two-way, FM or face-to-face as is commonly used in the airport environment. The client involved is excited by the versatility of the product we have recommended.

As we at Corporate Health Professionals strive to provide further effective onsite hearing, medical, health and safety assessment solutions for you, our valued clients, goodluck for the rest of 2010.

Cheers

Mark Mason

PS: * If you want a demonstration of the Sensear hearing protection equipment (with the very new state-of-art enhanced communication) drop us a line!!