FORT LEE, Va. (April 13, 2017) -- Occupational Health Nurses' Week begins Monday and continues through April 23. Members of the Kenner Army Health Clinic OHN team will take part in the 55th anniversary Family Fun Day and Health Fair on April 22 in the clinic's A Avenue parking lot. This will be a great opportunity for community participants to stop by and learn more about what we do.
Promoting health and safety in the workplace is the core mission of OHNs. Their medical specialty field requires the ability to perform thorough worksite analysis and the knowledge to identify environmental hazards and possible courses of action to mitigate their harmful impact.
Kenner's Occupational Health Clinic provides services to active duty and federal civilian workers. Soldiers are considered military employees when they perform work that is separate from their combat duties. Like their civilian counterparts, they may encounter potentially hazardous exposures similar to any other jobsite occupant.
The OHN is responsible for monitoring the health status of employees through surveillance. It manages occupational health programs by tracking injury and illness statistics and other associated data. The OHN partners with the Garrison Safety Office and the Kenner's industrial hygienist to ensure active duty and federal employees are working in a safe environment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires all employers in the United States to provide a non-hazardous and healthy working environment for their employees. The Army maintains its compliance with the requirement through the more than 130 individual occupational health programs that vary from installation to installation.
In her book "Nursing Beyond the Bedside: Occupational Health Nurse," author Anne Llewellyn observed the following about the profession. "Organizations have good reason to hire occupational health nurses because these highly skilled health professionals help maximize employee productivity and reduce costs," she wrote. "They do this by effectively lowering disability claims, reducing on-the-job injuries and absenteeism, and improving employee health and safety."
Occupational Health is part of Kenner's Preventive Medicine Division. For more information or to inquire about their services, call (804) 734-9159.
Social Sharing