The roles and responsibilities

Role and responsibilities of the occupational health and safety physician/nurse in the organization*

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of these elements may also be handled by other healthcare professionals, such as rehabilitation professionals. Of course, this sharing of roles/responsibilities depends on the acts reserved for the various professionals in your part of the world.

  1. Position yourself ethically between the worker’s situation and the needs of the organization. Take into account their interactions and interdependencies (Corbière et al., 2020)
  2. Inform occupational health and safety staff about health conditions (e.g., warning signs) and give them advice on how to support a worker in his/her RTW process (Corbière et al., 2020)
  3. Support the worker in understanding his/her health status and encourage him/her to participate actively in the recovery process (Corbière et al., 2020)
  4. Center his/her interventions on the worker’s recovery while respecting the confidentiality of the worker’s personal and medical information (Corbière et al., 2020)
  5. Monitor the medical treatment and the evolution of the worker’s health status (Corbière et al., 2020)
  6. Take into account the worker’s psychological and physical situation as well as his/her work history (Corbière et al., 2020)
  7. Monitor the worker’s health status while taking into consideration his/her working conditions (Corbière et al., 2020)
  8. Discuss working conditions with the worker and take into consideration any conflict or other stressors from the organizational environment. Know that interpersonal conflicts (especially those between the manager and the worker) can compromise the worker’s RTW within the team. Work on solutions with the stakeholders involved (Corbière et al., 2020)
  9. Use an intervention based on the resolution of identified problems to help the worker apply the strategies developed together (Corbière et al., 2020)
  10. Ensure that the worker has access to the necessary resources for his/her recovery (e.g., medical resources, rehabilitation, and work accommodations) (Corbière et al., 2020)
  11. Support the worker in understanding his/her health problem (Corbière et al., 2020)
  12. † Regularly assess the worker’s lifestyle (e.g., sleep, activities of daily living) and his/her physical, cognitive and psychological symptoms (Corbière et al., 2020)
  13. † Have a good knowledge of the different mental health diagnoses in order to be able to distinguish them and explain them to the worker when necessary (Corbière et al., 2020)
  14. Identify potential triggers for sick leave (e.g., work environment, personal life) (Corbière et al., 2020)
  15. Maintain a relationship with the worker based on trust and a good working alliance (Corbière et al., 2020)
  16. Take note of the organization’s attendance management procedures and RTW program (Corbière et al., 2020)
  17. Participate in the prevention activities that promote occupational health and safety (Corbière et al., 2020)

* In Quebec, clinical nurses and nurse practitioners share certain roles and responsibilities with physicians. They can therefore take charge of some of these elements.

† Applies more specifically to workers with a common mental disorder.