Any OH practitioners hoping for a quiet life over the next few years will be disappointed by the latest snapshot of the OH market.

For the rest of us, however, the study by research body Market & Business Development (MBD) shows a market that is growing rapidly and evolving as it does so, but which is likely to be constrained in the future by workforce issues, and something that in turn could create difficulties when it comes to workload, stress, training and the health of OH practitioners themselves.

MBD has estimated that the total market for OH provision last year totalled £318m, and is set to grow massively over the next four years.

The market, it has predicted, will grow by 19% in real terms between 2005 and 2009, and by 4% to 5% year-on-year.

The profile of OH within the workplace is rising, and companies are increasingly recognising that if they want to effectively manage workplace health in all its facets - and not just absence - they need the skills that only OH professionals can bring.

A full copy of the report is available from MBD (£550 for a single report or £660 for an annual subscription consisting of four reports), go to www.mbdltd.co.uk or telephone 0161 247 8600 for more information.

Source

Paton, N (2005) ‘A Growing Service ’ Occupational Health (8) pp 14-16