Does occupational medicine perform a fitness to work assessment?

The clinician reviews the role, essential tasks, workplace hazards and any health issue that could affect safe performance. The assessment may include a medical history, examination, review of reports and functional questions about lifting, concentration, mobility, vision, hearing, fatigue or medication effects. The outcome may be fitness for the stated duties, fitness with temporary or lasting adjustments, or a recommendation for further information. It is specific to the job and the current health picture; it is not a general judgement about a person’s value or ability.

Bring the job description, details of shift patterns and workplace exposures, relevant medical letters, a medicine list and information about any restrictions already advised. Describe what you can and cannot do in practical terms, including symptoms that appear during work. Ask the employer which duties the clinician must consider and how the report will be shared. Occupational health information should be handled with appropriate privacy, while the employer may receive a fitness opinion and recommended adjustments rather than every clinical detail.

Request an assessment when returning after illness or injury, starting safety-sensitive duties, changing to a role with new hazards, or when work symptoms are affecting performance. Seek urgent medical care for chest pain, severe breathlessness, sudden weakness, confusion, collapse or a serious workplace injury. Do not use a fitness assessment as a substitute for emergency treatment or routine care for a worsening condition.

Ask what duties were assessed, whether restrictions are temporary, which adjustments could support safe work, when reassessment is needed, and what information can be shared with your employer. Ask how a disagreement or change in health should be reported.