June-01-2016 in Healthcare Law, Employment Law, Medico Legal
Occupational medicine and mental health in the workplace were the key topics of a breakfast seminar held today, 1 June 2016, at Lavery House. Anne Lyne, partner in the Hayes Employment Team and member of the Health and Safety Lawyers Association of Ireland (HSLAI) committee, introduced presentations by Dr Fiona Donnelly, Occupational Medicine Consultant, and barrister Des McDermott, BL.
Dr Donnelly gave the HSLAI members and their guests an insight into the role of the occupational health doctor in workplace health and safety. Her presentation offered practical examples drawn from more than 20 years' experience of working with companies in a range of sectors, including extensive experience in the HSE. Dr Donnelly's wide-ranging talk offered an overview of the leading causes of workplace injury and ill-health, and covered the factors affecting recovery and return to work (RTW) after injury.
Des McDermott focused on mental health in the workplace and its implications for the management of workers carrying out safety-critical roles. He explored the issues through the lens of the 2015 German Wings air disaster and the questions raised over the processes for monitoring and communicating the mental health condition of employees in safety-critical roles. The legal context is complicated as the issues revolve around key relationships covering doctor and patient, employer and employee, individuals and their co-workers, and - as the German Wings case tragically highlighted - employees in safety-critical roles and customers or members of the public at large.
Mr McDermott discussed the question of whether employees with depression should have safety-critical roles and offered some best practice tips for employers when referring an employee for a psychiatric assessment.
Further information on the HSLAI at www.hslai.com
Back to Full News