INDUSTRIAL CLINIC vs COMPREHENSIVE OH SERVICES

There is still confusion amongst some  industrial management regarding the difference in the provision of industrial clinic and comprehensive OH services. Some managements thought both are the same. OH Services are preventive health based services with the following main functions:

1. Management of workplace occupational risks
2. Management of workers health
3. Participating in emergency response and disaster
   management
4. PROVISION OF CLINICAL SERVICES
5. Record Keeping

DOSH has released a Guideline on Occupational Health Services in 2005 (JKKP GP (BI) 04/2005). According to this guidelines, these OH services are provided by a team of OH Practitioners which are consist of:

1. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DOCTOR (OHD)
2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSE (OHN)
3. INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST (IH)
4. HYGIENCE TECHNICIAN (HT)
5. ERGONOMIST
6. SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFCIER (SHO)

According to OSHA 1994, only OHD can carry out medical surveillance examination.
On the other hand, industrial clinic services which is mainly curative based service can be provided by any registered medical practitioner BUT ideally this medical practitioner must have training in occupational health.
Providing industrial clinic service to the employees without providing  periodic medical surveillance examinations for the workers according to statutory regulations in OSHA 1994 and FMA 1967, is not enough to comply with both law. Without OH services available to the employees, it is impossible to achieve HEALTHY WORKFORCE, PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE.