By Nick Pahl, SOM CEO
Today marks the start of Occupational Health Awareness Week 2025! Use the hashtag #OHAW2025 to join the conversation.
The week increases awareness of what occupational health (OH) is and the value it provides to workplace health.
This year we focus on HR professionals and how OH helps - increasing workplace retention levels, offering expert advice on improving health and wellbeing in the workplace, and helping employees stay mentally and physically healthy.
SOM has produced free resources, including posters and videos. Take a look at this new video.
Do use and share!
Challenges in the workplace of course still exist, from supporting women in the workplace (brilliantly described in this report), reducing stress, to serious risks of silicosis for workers cutting engineered kitchen work tops (see here and here) and ensuring workplaces use quality wellbeing products and services.
During OH Awareness Week, SOM is hosting two free webinars: Occupational Health - Supporting HR on Tuesday 23rd September and What is Occupational Health…ask the questions you were too scared to ask! on Friday 26th September, plus a Careers event on Wednesday 24th September for nurses, AHPs and doctors (see our Events page for details). See also this new YouGov data released this week!
OH Awareness Week 2025 coincides with SOM’s 90th birthday, born in a pub in London on 27th September 1935. An incredible achievement, which we will celebrate at a Gala dinner the night before.
Membership has diversified and is now well over 2,100. This growth reflects what members value – from regional and special interest groups to careers support, webinars, the Occupational Medicine journal, and publications. SOM’s charitable purpose emphasises education and helping build the careers of new and established OH professionals through its leadership academy, mentoring and scholarships.
SOM is calling for everyone at work to be able to access OH. It was great to see the Fabian Society has produced a report calling for a national occupational health service last week.
We are currently talking with Government as to how OH can be put in place to support people to stay and return to work, whatever barriers they face, so they can flourish in their working lives. Watch this space!
