Personal Learning Zone in this issue

Summary:

FEATURED ARTICLES

 This issue of Occupational Health [at Work] features a Personal Learning Zone (PLZ) article recommended for continuing professional development (CPD). The assignment questions, ‘Personal learning statement’ and ‘Certificate of engagement’ are available to subscribers at here.  These will also be stored in your password-protected PLZ. The PLZ will help you document your own CPD. Occupational health physicians and nurses, occupational hygienists and other professionals can use the resource in support of their specialism’s revalidation or CPD requirements.

 Pages 29–42. Responding to COVID-19 at work. OH professionals are playing a vital role in advising employers and employees about the occupational risks of COVID-19 and on getting people back to work safely. Practitioners need to understand official guidance about health surveillance and assessing fitness for work during the pandemic, and how to interpret the two types of tests for the SARSCoV- 2 virus and the antibody response – PCR and serological tests.

ADDITIONAL CPD

The following articles, news and research items are suggested reading for CPD and professional revalidation. Subscribers can complete their online Personal Learning Zone CPD record at here

 Page 5. US research reveals the half-life of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on different surfaces – stainless steel, plastic, copper and cardboard – as well as in aerosols.

Page 6-8. The government has issued industry-specific guidance on ensuring ‘COVID-19 secure’ workplaces in different work settings. But there is a wealth of other useful advice from official and professional bodies.

Pages 9-10. Two decisions of the Supreme Court provide clarity on the legal principles of vicarious liability. The rulings have implications for independent OH professionals who provide services to organisations, and for the OH services that engage their services.

Pages 11-16. The law requires that medical practitioners report COVID-19 infections and deaths to the appropriate public authority, but there are also obligations on employers to report work-related cases and incidents under RIDDOR. Other legal issues include the need to handle COVID-19 test data confidentially. There may be occasions where a positive test is reported to an employer without consent.

Pages 17-28. Much can be learned from the collective experiences of OH professionals managing their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The different experiences of practitioners working for in-house services compared with those working in an outsourced capacity are particularly revealing.

Author: The At Work Partnership Ltd

Occupational Health at Work June/July 2020 (vol. 17/1) pp43

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