In 2010 WellWork Ltd undertook over 2000+ maritime related medicals. These medicals included ENG1 and offshore medicals (UKOG and Norwegian) Approximately half were carried out at our customers' sites in Scotland, Tyne and Wear, Cumbria and Teeside.

 

This month our occupational health physicians updated their skills at the training day held in London by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. One of the presentations was by former colleague Dr Isam Rustom. He has completed a research project which looked at the decision making processes of Maritime and Coastguard Agency's appeal referee system. The work was completed during his employment at WellWork in Lincoln, he is now working at Jaguar plc. The dissertation has now been accepted for his Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine. Congratulations to Dr Rustom !

The Association of Railway Industry Occupational Health Practitioners (ARIOPS) annual conference in York saw significant contributions from WellWork Ltd. WellWork Ltd have been approved by to undertake rail medicals for the past 3 years, much of this work being done in the WellWork clinics in Scotland, North West, North East and Midlands.

 

This year WellWork's managing director Dr Geoff Helliwell gave a case presentation concerning the automatic Train Protection Warning System. The presentation also gave an example of a "medically related accident" by examining the details of the Staten Island ferry disaster in the US.

 

Mrs Greenwell, Operations Support Manager of the North of the UK was elected onto the ARIOPS committee. Mrs Greenwell, is a specialist practitioner occupational health nurse with many years experience of working in the rail industry. Having recently completed a research project on Occupational Health case studies for the Office of Rail Regulator (ORR). She is well placed to make high level practical contributions for ARIOPS.

WellWork Ltd has been involved in pension and ill health retirement medicals for the past 11 years. Qualified to advise on referrals for the Local Governement pension schemes, private schemes and civil service schemes. WellWork's Occupational Health Physicians attended a training day on the complexities of the UK police forces pension scheme and standards in Ryton in Warwickshire.

Our Scottish team and Glasgow, Polmont and Edingburgh clinics are experts in handling Police pensions. We have a specialist pension administrator, to manage the progress of these highly complex medical issues. The conference gave updates of case law about challenges the Police Medical Appeal Board, and Judicial Reviews of both these and selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) processes/decisions.

Dr Geoff Helliwell, Managing Director of WellWork Ltd and Senior Occupational Health Consultant addressed an audience of 60+ medical staff at the post graduate education centre - Keyll Darree, at Nobles Hospital, Douglas Isle of Man in November.

The audience was surprised when the statistics Dr Helliwell used identified the main causes of fatalities on the island were Fishing/Seafaring, Asbestos and then motorcycling.

 

Death rates were as follows:

Seafarers - 53/100,000 per year
Asbestos - 3 per year in 85,000 population
Motorsport - 272 in 100 years (competitions, spectators and officials)

WellWork Ltd have created a number of new flyers that are currently being circulated around the UK. These flyers are available for download here:

Sickness Absence Flyer Download
Hand Arm Vibration Flyer Download
Offshore Medicals Flyer Download
Training Programmes Flyer Download
Railworker Medicals Flyer Download

Health Surveillance Flyer Download

For more information or to order a updated WellWork brochure please contact your local WellWork clinic

One in six drivers cannot see well enough to pass the basic eyesight test, according to the Fleet Safety Forum, a division of road safety charity Brake.
Fleet managers are urged to ensure that company drivers undergo regular eyesight tests. Experts recommend that everyone should have an eye test at least every two years and whenever there is cause for concern.
Brake are starting their " Look Sharp campaign" to alert drivers and fleet managers to the safety aspects of having regular checks. Every year in the UK, an estimated 12.5 million people who are due an eye test do not have one, the group said. In a bid to raise awareness of the issue, the Fleet Safety Forum is offering a poster and e-guidance pack free to the first 50 companies to order it.
The Brake website is :- www.brake.org.uk
WellWork Ltd has a variety of services that will support fleet managers manage the health of their drivers. Contact us for details of :-
• Vision testing
• Drivers medicals to meet DVLA standards
• HGV/LGV medicals
• Drug and Alcohol testing.