PERSONAL LEARNING ZONE 

Summary:

FEATURED ARTICLE 

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 34–40. Ramadan and work Ramadan is an important month for observant Muslims, and while some groups are exempted from fasting – for example, because it is inadvisable due to illness or because they are travelling or pregnant – some additional planning may be needed to ensure healthy and safe working, especially if fasting occurs during the summer months when days are long in the northern hemisphere. OH professionals can assist by providing advice, for example where a worker wishes to fast while working in a safety-critical job or has an underlying health condition. 

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 8. More than 100,000 people in the UK have ongoing symptoms related to self-reported COVID-19 infection, which have lasted more than a year and have a substantial impact on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities – suggesting they may be disabled under the Equality Act 2010. 

Page 8. The UK Health Security Agency has issued updated guidance for OH on the management and clearance of healthcare workers living with bloodborne viruses. 

Pages 10–12. A decision by the EAT in Dias Da Silva Primaz v Carl Room Restaurants Ltd highlights the importance of expert medical evidence when determining complex disability claims, including assessing the impact of an impairment on day-to-day activities. 

Pages 13–16. From 1 April 2022, patient-facing workers in the health and care sectors will need to be be double vaccinated against COVID-19. This raises important legal and ethical issues for OH professionals, who are advised to steer clear of essentially management/employment matters and continue to treat any vaccine-related information held in OH records as confidential. 

Pages 41–42. Our compendium of recent research includes a study on the link between beliefs about having been infected with COVID-19 and persistent symptoms, and a systematic review demonstrating that physical activity at work does not reduce cardiovascular disease risk. 

Author: The At Work Partnership Ltd

Occupational Health at Work February/March 2022 (vol. 18/5) pp43

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