caring for life
Our name, Life Healthcare, embodies our beliefs. Life, Health and Care are enshrined in everything we do. Our dedication to well-being and quality of life. A level of superior service and clinical excellence with facilities that are world class. And of course, the difference we aim to make to those who place their trust in our hands.

LIFE
Dedication to well-being and quality of life

HEALTH
Clinical excellence in world class facilities

CARE
Quality service, respect and a spirit of giving to those entrusted in our care

at life occupational health
Life Occupational Health is South Africa's leading provider of contracted on- and off-site occupational and primary healthcare services to commerce, industry and the mining sector. We specialise in all aspects of implementation and delivery of a comprehensive occupational health strategy for our customers. We currently service approximately 145 000 employees in over 257 clinics, and in 18 mines countrywide.

At Life Occupational Health our priority is to focus on the delivery of a unique and special brand of occupational health and care to employees of our clients. Life Occupational Health is the only healthcare company in South Africa to be awarded ISO 9002 certification. ISO 9002 is our promise to clients of quality accreditation with certification including benchmarking and standardisation of services, and the assurance that our services are continually audited and reviewed to demonstrate compliance with the latest professional and medical practices.

why outsource occupational health
Subsequent amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act require the employer to reassess their responsibility for the health and well-being of the workforce. Other special requirements included in such Acts as the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Substances (Reg. 1179 of 28 August 1995), the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996 and other legislation, have placed the responsibility on employers to provide appropriate occupational health services to their employees.

Occupational health is becoming an increasingly complex field. In a dynamic environment where requirements for occupational health and safety at work are continually evolving, the need for specialist knowledge and understanding of policy, compliance requirements and strategy for effective implementation becomes critical.

Professional occupational healthcare services require a detailed understanding of various integral components:

• Promotion and maintenance of employee health
• Maintenance of workforce efficiency
• Legal compliance with regulations and obligations to the workforce
• Enhancement of company performance through professional health management.

occupational health services
Our contracted services are flexible in order to accommodate individual company or industry needs. Services are delivered either through managed on-site clinics and infrastructure, from mobile on-site units, or at our own premises in industrial and commercial locations. Our high quality service is provided at an all-inclusive fixed monthly fee for on-site clinics and a negotiated fee for service structure for mobile or off-site services.

Service components include:

• Pre-employment medical examinations (enabling the correct placement of workers according to their physical and mental compatibility to job specifications)
• Exit medical examinations recording the health status of workers on termination of service to prevent later litigation
• Employee health assessment and ongoing management including:
  • Health policy development
  • A medical surveillance programme and periodic medical examinations to monitor the health status of workers exposed to identified health hazards in the workplace
  • All medical surveillance examinations laid down by occupational health legislation
  • Other medical examinations required specifically by your company, or required by law per specific industry
  • Medical examinations and monitoring of employees conducted by registered specialist personnel (either on-site or off-site in our clinics)
  • Delivery of on-site primary healthcare services
• Compliance to all legislative and administrative requirements including industry specific compliance (such as mining healthcare services to meet the specific needs of the mining industry)
• Laboratory testing of exposed employees according to the requirements of the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Substances (Reg. 1179 of 28 August 1995) and other relevant legislation
• Ergonomic surveillance (environmental improvement)
  • Monitoring, support, training and education
  • Regular walk-throughs at the workplace by an occupational health consultant to monitor and identify health risks
  • Biological monitoring
  • Checklists, surveys and recommendations for a diverse range of work-related muscular and back problems
• First aid training as required by legislation
• Professional occupational medical consultancy
• Interaction and enhancements with company safety programme
• Management reports (for planning, problem solving and decision making)
  • Absenteeism trends
  • Monthly statistical analysis
  • Incident reviews, trend analysis, definition of objectives and targets
• Quality assurance and best practice programmes and procedures
• Occupational health placement services to meet the demand for professional occupational healthcare staff
• Administration of cases involving the Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act.

our team
Our staff and management at Life Occupational Health are specialists in their field. All on-site medical examinations, assessments, treatment and training are performed by registered personnel with the necessary know-how and experience required to deliver a superior service.

Life Occupational Health employs nursing staff and doctors who are both registered and qualified in occupational health.

Our nurses have membership with the Professional Society of Occupational Health Nurses and attend the society?s continuing educational workshop seminars. Monthly workshops are held on specific occupational and primary healthcare topics. Staff are trained on the use of medical screening equipment, and there is annual training and updating on CPR, first aid and emergency treatment skills. Furthermore, specific training courses are developed for Life Occupational Health through Life Healthcare?s registered training schools.

All Life Occupational Health staff participate in ongoing quality training ?Q to the power of e?. Here we each come to appreciate the importance of quality in delivery of service and to embrace caring principles of empathy, ethics, excellence, energy and empowerment.

our standards
ISO 9002 is our promise to clients of quality accreditation with certification including benchmarking and standardisation of services and the assurance that our services are continually audited and reviewed to demonstrate compliance with the latest professional and medical practices.

The Medical Standards Committee
Consists of medical practitioners with diplomas in Occupational Healthcare Medicine and who are full-time employees of Life Occupational Health. The committee meets on a quarterly basis, and amongst other things ensures the implementation of internationally accepted best practice in occupational healthcare.

Nursing Committees
These regional committees meet on a monthly basis. Meetings are chaired by the Regional Operations Managers, and primarily serve as a conduit of information from the above committees, as well as the dissemination of training and support to clinic staff.

Clinic audit programme
Principles and objectives of the clinic audit are:

• to ensure that there is an agreed standard of service throughout our clinics, in terms of organisation, systems, practices and standard of healthcare
• to ensure that Life Occupational Health standards, policies, protocols and procedures are implemented to guarantee a high standard of professional practice within clinics
• to assess and evaluate clinics objectively in order to implement corrective action should areas of nonconformance arise
• to ensure compliance with legislation
• to maintain, improve and review the quality and standard of the service to the client
• to assist with performance management and provide objective feedback to clinic staff
• to determine development and training needs of staff to ensure they remain updated and experienced.

our approach
Prior to implementation and ongoing management, our professional team will conduct a requirements audit. This includes an assessment of your company's specific onsite health needs and work-related health risks as well as an evaluation prior to recommendation of all relevant legislation. Following the audit, a proposal is presented to management, detailing the recommended services and plans for implementation and management.

For client?s new to occupational health, our proposal will incorporate a comprehensive operational occupational health programme, including all on-site healthcare requirements.

For clients with existing occupational health staff and facilities we can offer a fully outsourced service, or an occupational health medical consultancy including corrective action programmes. Life Occupational Health will assume the responsibility for existing staff and is in the position to offer them an attractive future package including training, career advancement opportunities and the benefits of working within a specialist healthcare group.

implementation and operation
Life Occupational Health takes full responsibility for the staffing and management of your clinic, the day-to-day delivery of care and ongoing operations. An on-site primary care service is by far the most cost-effective way of managing employees' basic healthcare needs. Because care is close at hand, employees who cannot afford medical aid do not have to travel far to primary health clinics and wait in long queues for minor treatment. Time off work is reduced and early identification of conditions leads to the possible reversal of chronic illness.

Primary healthcare services include:

• Diagnosis and treatment of injuries and minor ailments
• Co-ordination of health education programmes such as Aids awareness, lifestyle management and family planning
• Individual counselling
• Regular monitoring and treatment of employees with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension
• Managed referral systems

Mobile on-site occupational health services:
Life Occupational Health?s mobile service makes it convenient and easy for smaller companies to provide professional and cost-effective on-site occupational healthcare to their employees.

Although many companies do have on-site medical services they do not always have the necessary equipment to perform certain required screening tests, for example audiometric, lung function and vision screening.

Off-site clinics:
To meet the needs for medical surveillance and other healthcare requirements of smaller industries, where it would not be cost effective to have an on-site clinic, Life Occupational Health has established "off-site" facilities in several areas where industries can send their employees for healthcare services.

our customers
Mining Health Services
Life Occupational Health offers a comprehensive service that is fully-integrated and tailored to suit unique mining industry needs. The mining industry has to comply with comprehensive healthcare legislation, as laid down in the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996, the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993, and other health-related legislation. The Mine Health and Safety Act which became effective on 14 January 1997, compels mines to employ occupational health nursing staff and medical practitioners, and carry out medical surveillance on employees.

Life Mining Healthcare, a division of Life Occupational Healthcare, has been established to serve the mining industry with a fully-integrated health service.

Our full package which has been tailored to meet the mining industry?s unique needs, incorporates the following:

• Rescue and 24 hour emergency services
• Primary care and a managed referral system to ensure sufficient secondary care
• Full occupational care including health risk management, pre-employment and exit medical examinations, fitness (red ticket) certification, biological monitoring, audiometry and visual screening
• Staffing and management of mine-owned hospitals and support services such as radiology, dispensing pharmacy, physiotherapy, dentistry, optometry and spectacle supply
• Infectious disease control programme
• Health education programmes
• First aid training
• All the required management, administration and statistical information systems, backed by our sophisticated quality control programmes.

Life Occupational Health customers span a diverse range of businesses including commerce, industry, mining and prisons.

Life Occupational Health Correctional Services:
A joint venture with Farani Health Solutions was awarded the provision and management of the Health Services at the Maximum Security Prison in Bloemfontein. With our empowerment partners we have developed a separate division in order to focus on correctional health services.

This joint venture company has also secured the occupational health services provision for the Industrial Development Zone in Port Elizabeth (Coega). The project is an exciting one due to the experience gained from a construction phase development to a fully functional industrial zone.

benefits of life occupational health
Our professionally rendered on-site service:

• Formalises company health policies and programmes
• Assists the company in complying with all relevant legislation
• Ensures professional pre-placement medical examinations of potential employees
• Ensures the correct placement of new employees in relation to their physical capabilities
• Minimises hazards and risks
• Reduces man-hours lost due to job-related illness or injury
• Increases productivity by keeping healthy workers healthy
• Interacts with, and enhances the company's safety programme
• Ensures compliance with regulations, reduced risks of non-compliance and ongoing monitoring of regulatory change
• Addresses and manages needs in a properly planned, professional and efficient manner
• Assists with problem-solving and decision-making
• Benchmarks vs industry best practice, as well as provides comparisons and trends
• Enhances health awareness across the workforce
• Reduces medical and legal claims
• Enables focus on core business
• Reduces
  • cost of implementing a compliant service
  • costs due to job related injury/illness
• Increased productivity
• Enhanced company safety programme.