Fitness For Work

Fitness for work refers to issues concerning an individual's health specifically in connection with his or her job.  

Some jobs require very high levels of physical and mental health, for example professional drivers or deep-sea divers, and strict medical criteria apply both at the entrance stage and for retention in post.  The medical criteria for most civil service positions would clearly not need to be as strict but officers are expected to be capable of providing regular and effective service.

The effects of an individual's job upon his or her health is the other important aspect of fitness for work.  A heavy manual handling job might not be suitable for someone who has a serious joint problem, for example. The adverse effects of excessive noise exposure or the use of vibrating hand-held tools are such that careful control measures need to be in place.  Increasingly, mental health issues are causing concern - we need to take account of many issues such as work/life balance, the pressures of work, shift work, working "to deadlines", training needs etc.